


Make some friends

by 291



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Gen, just for fun really tbh, other characters may make appearances but you know : ), plot divergence, slight headcanons regarding allisters abilities
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:35:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 46,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23299420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/291/pseuds/291
Summary: On a quiet night in Ballonlea, Opal invites Allister to a "friendly" battle with a disqualified gym challenger.
Relationships: Beet | Bede & Onion | Allister, Beet | Bede & Onion | Allister & Poplar | Opal
Comments: 21
Kudos: 93





	1. The Tangle

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! I wrote this for fun and thats pretty much it. Please excuse any mistakes, I did my best! Idk how much I'll post for the rest of it but I think the first chapter was satisfying enough so we can start there...

The forest was quiet that evening.

Glimwood tangle was a familiar area to Allister. It was one of the places he would scurry off to most; close enough to Stow-on-side that he could return to his gym when needed, but dense enough that he could be comfortably alone.

On that particular night, under the soft light of glowing mushrooms, Allister carried an old woven basket by its handle. Its contents weren't heavy, but he carried it with two hands for stability as he traveled soundlessly over curling tree roots and uneven ground. He scanned the dark undergrowth as he walked, only to stop himself and veer to his right when something caught his eye; a few small balm mushrooms, growing under the hollowed body of an old tree. 

Collecting things hadn't ever been a hobby for Allister. He did like the look of some of the things he found, and knew that a few ghost Pokémon may even enjoy what few trinkets he could scavenge. He didn't go out of his way to get most of these things, however; just what he was asked to. 

Taking the balm mushroom by the base of the stem, Allister wiggled and pulled until it slid from the soil mostly intact. He daintily set it down in the bottom of his basket, joining a few other mushrooms and a specific bunch of leaves he had tied off with loose twine. Once he did a quick glance over to make sure everything was there, he stood up again and continued on his way, not pausing even when he saw the faint form of a few Impdimp scampering off into the shadows. 

His stroll took him through the rest of the woods, just until he could see the gentle lights at the end of the long pathway. He slowed, staying in the shadows for a beat of silence as he surveyed the area; no one was around. The deep orange sign on the Pokémon center greeted him blankly. Allister turned the corner, hurrying only to cut the risk of running into a stranger, and skirting the edge of the tree line to keep himself in the dark.

"Ah, there you are, my dear."

Allister shut the front door of the home behind himself, then turned around again. Opal, the fairy gym leader, had already appeared from the hall, as if she had been expecting him. The older woman smiled at him softly, Allister stayed where he was as she made her way closer with the soft clicks of her heels. She was dressed in her fancy gym clothes, as she usually was. Allister had only seen her in a different non-gym related outfit a handful of times.

"Any trouble getting over here?"

Allister shook his head, taking his basket up in both hands around the sides. The earthy smell of the fungus inside lightly dusted his senses.

"I heard a few trainers were chased off just earlier by quite the angry Morgrem. I would feel bad, but it was most likely quite a deserved lesson."

Opal stopped just in front of him, gazing down into Allister's basket. She reached a thin, wrinkled hand in and pulled out a small balm mushroom, turning it between her finger and thumb with a hint of interest.

"Quite the good gathering you've got today… I suppose the fairy Pokémon have been cheerful, if this is the sort of thing that we can expect from them. Thank you, sweetheart, I'll take this."

Allister passed on the basket to Opal, who took it in one hand. The other rose, making its way to the top of Allister's head. He stood still when she gave him a few pats, then smiled at him as she took her hand back. Allister felt warm under his mask. A knot loosened in his chest.

"Y-You're welcome..."

"Come and sit with me for a few minutes, dear. I have some things to talk about."

Obediently, Allister followed her further into the house. Despite Opal's status as a gym leader, her home was small, and she lived quite modestly, save for the few jewels or statues that were left decoratively about the home on windowsills or shelves. The walls were painted a deep purple, lined with bookshelves and old photographs. The smell had become familiar by now, too; perfume and fabric, with an edge that reminded him of a cinnamon stick. The way to the living room from the doorway was short in the small home, and Allister was soon greeted with a familiar sight; An Alcremie sat on a short coffee table, its small hands tying off a bow made of thin ribbon around the neck of a small glass bottle. Togekiss sat on the floor beside the table, busy with some sort of stone. 

The two Pokémon looked up when Allister and Opal came in, Alcremie smiled and waved while Togekiss greeted him with a sound and a nod of its head.

"We've got our hands full today, just with some busy work, but you needn't worry over it."

Opal set the basket of mushrooms down next to Alcremie and a few other bottles and bowls. It looked as though Opal had been in the middle of making perfume, as she usually did with the materials Allister collected for her. Fancy blown glass bottles filled with strong smelling oils and alcohols sat in what might look like a small mess to an outsider, but was an organized chaos for Opal. The woman then sat herself down on one end of her floral patterned couch, then patted the cushion to invite Allister over.

"Come, come! No need to be shy."

Allister hesitated nervously for a second, before he quickly obliged. He wasn't too shy to sit with her, he just wasn't used to it yet.

"Even with the success of being a gym leader, there are still many responsibilities and busy work to keep you occupied, as you know."

As Allister sat at the other end of the couch, his hands resting in his lap, Alcremie hopped down from its spot on the table and walked out of the room. It left behind a smooth, round, deep orange gem next to one of the bottles. From how shiny and colorful it was, it almost looked like candy. Togekiss picked up a teacup that had been left on the table among the bottles and bowls and passed it to Opal who accepted it with a dip of her head.

Allister was indeed familiar with his duties as a gym leader. Of course, some things were taken off of his shoulders because of his age; he wasn't allowed to do everything an adult could, but he never pushed that envelope anyway. 

Without waiting for Allister to respond at all, Opal continued. "I find it to be rather enjoyable, myself. Always something to do, always someone new to meet. Seeing young aspiring trainers come into my gym, knowing how hard they've worked to get there, it's always quite exciting."

Allister nodded along slowly, even though he knew he leveled with this differently. He enjoyed battling, and he did enjoy going up against new trainers. He wasn't so good at meeting them, but… it was a responsibility, one that he couldn't avoid by running off on his own. 

Opal leaned back, relaxed with a satisfied smile as she gazed across the room at her bookshelf. "I've met many trainers from so many different walks of life, you would think that someone at my age has seen it all."

Alcremie came trotting back into the room, and right up to Allister. Allister blinked down at it as his hand lifted; the Alcremie held a plate, decorated with painted flowers. A stack of cookies sat in the middle, thick and a deep reddish brown. Allister slowly took one and felt how warm it was. He didn't express his excitement, but felt it quietly. The treats Opal kept around her house were always the best…

"But the world is huge! And every person is different and new, even if it's easier to believe what we perceive someone is at first glance."

Allister looked Opal's way as he separated a small chunk of the molasses cookie with his fingers, and Alcremie walked away. She didn't seem to be looking for his input, but he nodded anyway to show he was listening before sliding the cookie piece through the mouth hole of his mask. The cookie was warm and chewy. 

"So… I have a trainer I'd like you to meet. I think that something good could come from this."

Allister swallowed his mouthful. His head tipped questioningly, though he did feel a small spark of nervousness in his throat. 

"He's a boy a little older than you," Opal explained, her hot cup of tea held in her lap gone untouched as she was busy explaining herself. "Someone who I've decided to take under my wing as of just a while ago. He seemed to be a good candidate to fill the space that I’ll be leaving behind, so I've decided to give him a chance. He did look quite stunning in pink…"

The woman laughed softly to herself. Allister ate another chunk of his cookie and wiped his sleeve over the mask's mouth. Someone Opal decided to mentor…? Allister knew from what she had talked about previously that she was looking for someone to take over her gym at some point, of course. 

"He used to be a gym challenger, but after an incident between him and the chairman himself, he's been disqualified, sadly…"

Allister paused. An incident with the chairman... That was pretty serious. They weren't supposed to make allowances for disqualified gym challengers…

"I'd say what happened was an understandable mistake, however. I won't go too in depth, but in my opinion, a second chance is in order. It would be a shame to let talent go to waste over a simple misunderstanding."

Allister watched Opal carefully. It was obvious that she was breaking the rules. The chairman's word was supposed to be final. Even without Allister reacting much, it seemed that Opal could pick up on his hesitance.

"Don't fret just yet, I would not ask for you to put yourself in danger on my behalf. I'm a gym leader, too. I've got my responsibilities, those belonging to the gym league and those to my own sense of right."

She finally lifted her teacup and took a sip, the porcelain painted a creamy white with blue lace patterns. She set it down again in the small mismatched saucer in her lap, her expression gentle yet… mischievous. 

"I just want you two to meet. I believe the best and most comfortable way for the both of you to do that would be through a friendly battle."

Allister straightened his back. A battle… a friendly battle. He supposed this was Opal's way of disconnecting himself from the gym league; there wasn't any harm in him battling an ex gym challenger if he wasn't battling as a gym leader, right? 

"I think it would do both of you very well," Opal concluded cheerfully. "He has not had the chance to fight you yet, and I believe he has something we have not seen in gym challengers in quite a while. Would you be interested?"

Allister's lips drew into a line behind his mask, but... he nodded with a touchn more confidence. He could manage that. That was much easier than having to meet someone through conversation. A battle with a disqualified gym challenger… 

"Thank you very much, dear! I truly do appreciate this," Opal said as she leaned to set her teacup back down next to Togekiss. "We will have the performance take place in my stadium after dark. It will be past the usual hours for someone your age to be awake, but I know that's not too much of a bother, right?"

"It… should be okay," Allister mumbled shyly and felt his face heat up. Opal had scolded once before when she had found him wandering the Glimwood tangle at midnight. Luckily, she wasn't the type to try and get him in trouble for it, though she wasn't the type to simply forget about things like that, either…

"Don't think too hard on it," Opal warned without breaking her cheerful demeanor. "We've still got plenty of time now before then. How about we find a new book for you? I've got some new ones since my trip to Hammerlocke, I think you may be interested in a few."

\-----------

The two of them stepped through the front doors to Opal's stadium just as the clock struck twelve.

It was a bit odd, but not too surreal for Allister. He was used to coming by his own stadium when it was late and all of the staff had gone home. There was a certain feeling that the empty stadium lobby gave, as if the living had gone home and finally gave room to the warm, drifting spirit of loneliness to creep down corridors filled with soft light. It was comforting, usually, but being in someone else's gym put Allister slightly on edge, especially with who greeted them…

"Figures you would make me wait until the last possible minute…"

A boy stood by the front desk, arms crossed and dressed in the pink fairy gym's trainer uniform. Taller and a little older than Allister, his stark white hair and piercing eyes definitely made him stand out more so than the usual trainer would. That, and the fact that the usual shine of excitement that always followed aspiring champions was instead replaced with an impatient and cold crossness. Allister stopped a few steps short of the other while Opal approached the teen with a chuckle.

"This is the exact time we decided on. Impatience has been your vice, Bede."

"I could say the same thing to you…"

Bede. His gaze drifted from Opal to Allister, making eye contact with the holes of his mask. Allister stood still as he tried to assess the situation.

"H...Hello."

"You really got him to show up?"

Bede's arms fell from their crossed position and he walked closer. Opal turned to keep in the circle they now formed, Bede approaching Allister with a few quick steps. Allister had to tilt his head back to look at him, and admittedly felt nervous once Bede had come closer. He was definitely abrasive even though he had barely said much at all.

"Of course I did. It wouldn't be much of an agreement if I didn't hold up my end."

"Trying to figure out when you'll pull a trick next is like predicting the weather in the wild area," Bede grumbled, still looking Allister up and down as if sizing up his foe. Just as Allister had given up on the other actually answering his greeting, Bede finally spoke directly to him.

"I'm Bede. I don't know what Miss Opal has told you already, but I'm the strongest trainer out there. Battle me."

" _ Please _ ."

Bede shot Opal a glance, as though she had tugged on his leash with her mumbled word. Opal was unbothered by his glare. He looked back to Allister, his jaw tense.

"... _ Please _ , battle me. I need to confirm that I'm strong enough to beat you."

Allister hesitated just a moment, taken aback by the other's demeanor. He tried not to let his anxiety show when he answered, "O...Okay. We… should battle."

A satisfied grin spread over Bede's face. This trainer… was definitely nothing too new, but strange. Allister didn't know what Opal wanted from this. Usually she would out smart someone acting mean in an instant and throw them out, but it seemed like she had some sort of plan with this instance…

"Marvelous! It's all settled. Let us get this battle started, there's no point in wasting any more time."

Opal quickly took the lead towards the field of her own stadium, and the two boys followed.

The field was quiet, too. The long dark hall they all crowded through was like a cave, empty from the echoes of cheers and cries of an excited audience. The grass that opened up underfoot was drenched by the stadium lights left on, as were and hundreds of empty seats lining the walls. 

Allister kept peeking up at the two others as they walked. Bede didn't say anything or look his way. Opal was the same, but with a much more calm air. Allister… felt strange. Excited at the thought of another battle, but nervous. Bede's entire demeanor was something he wasn't too good at dealing with. Allister wasn't scared of losing, but would Bede freak out and be angry if Allister won? He hadn't quite gotten a good read on the other just yet, which added to his uncertainty.

...He had faith in Opal, though. Even if she was just as Bede said- someone who liked her own brand of jokes and tricks- she had yet to lie or let something negative come out of her own plot. 

Without a word, they all took their own places; Allister stood on the side where a gym leader would, Bede stood at the other edge of the large circle. Opal found herself a spot in the middle but off to the side to be out of their way. Allister stood still as he usually did, returning Bede's harsh stare with more neutrality. Bede almost seemed angry…

"Your crowd's a teeny bit small today, but I hope that doesn't change how hard you fight!" Opal called over after a few beats of silence. Her voice echoed slightly in the big empty stadium. Allister glanced over, but Bede kept his eyes on him.

"Absolutely not. I won't be losing this, even if no one else is around to see me win."

Without much other warning, a ball expanded from Bede's palm and was whipped out into the field. In a flash of light, a familiar form appeared between them; Mawile. Allister was taken aback for a moment, not only from Bede rushing into battle; he recognized the Mawile. It was Opal's Mawile. 

From the side of the stadium, Opal chuckled. "My, a good first choice!"

Bede scrunched his nose to Opal's comment. "I've trained her myself. She's much more capable now."

Pulling himself out of his hesitation, Allister sucked in a breath. Things felt much more natural and easier when a Pokémon was sitting in front of him as his opponent instead of a person.

He let his upper half fall forwards. Like a rush of cold wind hitting his face, Allister's senses were alive in seconds. Bede visibly shifted from Allister's sudden movement; he was unnerved.

"Let's… Do this, then…"

His first ball expanded in both hands. He tossed it out in front of himself more gently, bringing a Yamask into the field with a small flash of light. The Yamask cried out when faced with the opposing Pokémon, drifting easily just a foot above the ground as if it weighed nothing. Bede's gaze now flicked between Allister and the two Pokémon that stood ready to fight. Confidence still showed in his whole body even after the momentary shock of seeing the ghost gym leader in action. 

"...I won't hold back just because you're younger than me, either. Mawile!" Bede swept out an arm, and Mawile jumped into action with a cry. Allister was just as fast, however, speaking more even toned to Yamask.

"Yamask."

It dodged the large mouth of the Mawile and swung, scoring a blow to the back of the other Pokémon's head. Mawile staggered but caught itself before it could fall, turning around its momentum so it could go charging at Yamask once more.

The two Pokémon quickly became locked in their tussle. Allister was somewhat surprised on how evenly matched they were, though it wasn't too much of a surprise when Mawile came out on top with its slew of Physical moves. What he was more surprised over was Bede's battling style; He didn't seem as pushy or mean with his Pokémo like he was with people. Though it was obvious to Allister that Mawile and Bede hadn't quite gotten in sync just yet, Bede wasn't a foolish or incompetent trainer in the slightest. Not that Allister had been thinking he was...

Before Yamask could hit the ground, Allister returned it with a quick pull of its ball. Mawile's jaws snapped together, and it was just as satisfied as it's trainer, but more riddled with exhaustion. Allister cupped Yamask's ball in both hands for a moment to comfort the spirit inside as Bede returned the tired Mawile.

"See? It's dangerous to underestimate someone."

Allister's head dipped to the side slightly. He hadn't underestimated Bede, at least he thought so…

Easily Allister swapped the ball in his hands for another on his hip, tossing it out just as Bede tossed another of his own; the pale white Cursola sat in Allister's corner while a Hattrem stood across from them cheerily. Hattrem, another somewhat familiar Pokémon from the Glimwood tangle, but not familiar like Mawile. 

"Yes, yes, quite the nice color on that one…"

Disregarding Opal's comment, Bede's arm swung as he called out to his Pokémon, "Hattrem, Psychic!"

"Curse."

Cursola managed to strike first by making the Hattrem hesitate when it saw the giant nail manifest in the air, then turn and strike itself into Cursola's top tier with a sound similar to the dry creaking of old wood. The young Pokémon was shocked; it was probably unfamiliar with Ghosts… in seconds, however, once it realized it was unharmed, it kicked back into action. The bright pink psychic waves that rattled through Cursola's semi solid body made a hollow sound, like wind tearing through an abandoned home. However, the type advantage was evident, as Cursola stood strong after the critical hit. 

Annoyance crossed Bede's face only briefly, but he stayed just as firm. "Keep it up! Don't stop!"

The Hattrem suddenly stalled; Cursola hadn't moved an inch, but it looked as though Hattrem had taken a blow. The Pokémon staggered back with a sound. Allister watched the wispy mist of the curse that wreathed around the Pokémon's body. 

Cursola took the opening without Allister's input, stones bursting from the dirt and darting violently at the cowering fairy type. Hattrem barely had a second to cry out before it was pummeled. It managed to save itself by grasping a few projectiles with its psychic energy, causing them to crumble under the strain of both Pokémon.

Even Bede was surprised at the ferocity displayed by the inanimate Pokémon. Allister stood behind it blankly. Cursola was very skilled at battling, it only seemed so violent when the other half wasn't holding up their side. But Hattrem definitely wasn't weak…

"Hattrem! Stay focused!" Bede commanded, and quickly received his response as Hattrem forced another psychic wave to rattle through Cursola. This time the coral Pokémon finally began to waver, a guttural and airy sound leaking from its hollow body as it shuddered under the stress. Just as it was giving out, the curse dove in for a second time; the psychic energy let up as Hattrem cried out. The curse stabbed through its body like a pin in a cushion, it didn't understand what was happening. 

Stones rose from the air. Cursola prepared to finish it off.

Hattrem was quickly returned to its ball. Allister's gaze flicked up to Bede's, Bede's jaw was clenched and his eyes narrowed. 

"That's enough of that."

The rocks Cursola had lifted dropped heavily into the stadium ground, quickly fading off again. The ghost Pokémon drooped, twitching and unsteady with a pained sound after taking so much damage.

"Mh…"

Allister returned the Cursola before it could fall over, and felt relieved, for some reason.

Before anything else could be said, another ball was thrown into the ring. A Pokémon Allister was even less familiar with appeared; a… Ponyta, he believed. It's mane and tail were colorful and well taken care of. Despite its soft and friendly appearance, it stood strong and proud, and was staring Allister down with just as much intensity as Bede.

"Things are really getting interesting!" Opal laughed, covering her mouth with fingers adorned by rings. 

Allister, despite feeling odd about the circumstances, couldn't help but agree. He expected Bede to have had a bigger upper hand by being able to research Allister's team beforehand like many gym challengers did. This didn't bother him, however; he was having fun, to an extent. He wasn't just being tanked by a beefy team, they seemed evenly matched as of then. The only thing holding Allister back from loosening up was the strange vibe that came from his opponent, one that felt stronger now that they were in the heat of a battle. Bede didn't seem to be enjoying himself. Of course losing wasn't anything to be happy over, but…

Allister threw in his next ball. The pale yellow form of his Mimikyu dropped from the air, landing gingerly on the ground with a small rattle from its costume. In comparison to Ponyta, it seemed tiny, but Mimikyu's eagerness was apparent immediately as it's wooden tail wagged. 

The following battle went about just as similarly. Mimikyu hopped and jumped around the Ponyta's darting attacks. It was pinned and took heavy damage from Ponyta's physical strength, but managed to deal back just as much simply by being fast and tricky. 

The high speed battle was intense, and Bede quickly became fired up again.

"To the left! Back!"

"Ah-"

Ponyta bayed back, barely being missed by Mimikyu who struck with shadowy claws where it had just been, digging ruts into the gym's terrain. The Ponyta's horn lit up as it cast down another beam of psychic energy, and was quickly answered with the frustrated and pained cry of Mimikyu succumbing to the attack. Ponyta landed back on all fours as the last waves of energy dispersed, standing over Mimikyu who had crumpled into its own rut. Allister returned the Pokémon before further harm could come to it, Bede beamed with a smirk and returned his own partner.

"It's only natural things end up this way. I'm nowhere near finished."

Opal chuckled to Bede's comment; though it seemed neither here nor there when it came to showing an opinion. Allister was busy looking down at his last ball; Cursola could stand up for a bit longer if needed, but realistically he was backed into a corner. Bede still had one more Pokémon to reveal, and his Ponyta was in good shape. 

"Oh…" Allister mumbled. He felt the creeping chill up his spine that didn't even make him shiver. One that he only got to feel every once in a while. Bede's expression faltered only slightly as he looked at Allister. 

"We're fine to dynamax in here, right?"

He was talking to Opal.

"Of course! I expect nothing less. Don't worry about the noise, if anyone was to hear you they would be here by now."

Bede didn't fuss much more. Concentration turning his face to steal, he threw his ball out onto the field. In a flash of white light, a Gardevoir landed daintily on the ground, its soft chime of a voice greeting Allister's currently empty field. Allister clutched his last ball for a moment. He felt the cold it emanated in his palm. 

Gengar was released onto the field. The large ghost type landed heavily on both feet, immediately dropping its lower jaw so it could laugh and stick out its tongue at the opponents. Bede's hard exterior wasn't phased. Now with the formality of both Pokémon out on the field over with, Bede quickly moved first.

"Time to dynamax, Gardevoir!"

The Pokémon called back on command as Bede whipped out its ball and returned the Pokémon. In an instant the regular ball inflated, cracking open seams that spilled with energy and white light. He turned and threw the ball overhand behind himself. It exploded with light, pink flashes tearing open the shadows that had enveloped the empty stadium. With a crash, Gardevoir landed much more heavily, its form shrouded in darkness yet glowing a menacing red and pink. Its cry was still graceful, even though it was loud enough to make the ground shake.

The weight of the ending battle still hung in the air. Allister… Wasn't afraid. He had many people approach him with a dark type, trying to win on that alone. It was the fact that he was on his last Pokémon to a team of psychic and fairy types that brought a spark of thrill to the battle at hand. 

"All alone… my last Pokémon…" Allister started, soft yet lacking the usual fear or despair that would usually follow such words. "But…"

The words caught behind his mask.  _ I'm having fun _ . It felt too awkward to say, almost like he would be vulnerable if he let off that he was enjoying himself in the face of possible defeat. This had been a challenge. Getting as far as he did against such a strong team was gratifying, even if there was nothing to lose or gain from this battle.

"...Gengar," Allister spoke, and he could see the ghost Pokémon becoming more and more excited. 

Allister returned the Pokémon, and in an instant it's ball expanded in both his hands. He wobbled to turn around, before heaving the ball upwards into the air. Like a balloon at its limit, the ball burst, a flurry of darkness shattering the fairy light that had been produced by Gardevoir. The shadowy form disappeared before it burst from the ground like an earthquake; Gigantamax Gengar stood behind him and let out its deafening cry, like a screeching, animalistic laughter. Allister stood before it, familiar with the sound. Once the echoing noise cleared, Allister let his hands come up to his chest.

"...Swallow them all in darkness!"

Bede was quick to act. On his barked command, Gardevoir unleashed its mindstorm on Gengar. The beam crashed into the other Pokemon, and the flurry of deafening sounds began. Gengar and Gardevoir's cries, the ground tremoring, the air splitting from lightning fast attacks hurling left and right. The swarm of dark energy that snaked its way from Gengar then struck Gardevoir left an icy chill sweeping across the field. Bede held himself to keep steady while Allister let himself sway with the tremors. 

Their voices were drowned out by the noise, but their commands came across to their Pokémon clearly. Allister's exterior remained calm, but he definitely felt the thrill; despite the opposing Pokémon's strength, Gengar was holding up. It's pointed attacks ravaged Gardevoir and forced Bede to move faster, think quicker. Gengar was a loose canon, Allister had completely forgotten that he was a gym leader to the other. 

"Gardevoir! Mind-"

Bede's command was choked out by the cry of his Dynamaxed Pokémon. Max phantasm crushed it between the collosal tables and chairs created and thrown by Gigantamax Gengar. Gardevoir sent off a mind storm in retaliation that misfired from its user being crushed, the attack striking the barrier that would usually protect the crowd with a loud metallic sound and bursts of light. Gengar took the opportunity to strike again, crushing Gardevoir in another choking cloud of darkness. 

"Gardevoir!"

An explosion erupted, flames shot upwards as a shock wave made Bede stumble and Allister brace himself. The Gardevoir shrunk, collapsing in an explosion of raw energy. Panic split over Bede's face, but luckily his instinct kicked in during his shock and he returned the fainted Pokémon before it could crumple fully to the ground. 

Behind Allister, Gengar shrunk more naturally, electric crackles snapping in the air as the heavy Pokémon deflated and returned to its normal form. Allister was busy watching Bede, who's cold exterior had finally broken once more, now replaced with frustration.

"I'm not cornered! This doesn't mean the end for me yet! I'm still going to win!" Bede cursed, tearing a ball from his belt and whipping it into the field before Allister even had a moment to assess the situation. Ponyta came out again, landing in a scuff mark and giving its battle cry. Despite being visibly tired from its previous fight, Gengar hopped and cried in excitement, its tongue lolling and teeth gnashing. 

Before Ponyta or Bede could react, Gengar had flung a ball of dark energy at the other Pokémon. Ponyta barely dodged as the black and purple mass careened into the ground and exploded. Ponyta was immediately on the run, stumbling over the uneven terrain as it was chased down by attack after attack. 

"Keep attacking! Ponyta!"

Bede's voice rose in his command, though Ponyta and Gengar were quickly lost in dust clouds and debris. The only thing showing their locations was the different explosions that popped through the smoke and the way the clouds were swept along by moving bodies. Allister caught a glimpse of Ponyta who hopped along on shaking legs, its eyes wide in alarm. The Pokémon was panicked, disoriented from the flurry of attacks and without help from Bede who's rushed commands fell flat. Just when Gengar came into view, Ponyta fired off a counter attack, though Gengar zipped out of the way just in time. The Psychic beam narrowly missed Allister, who shuddered in surprise and was snapped out of his concentration when he felt the numb pin pricks swipe up his shoulder and neck.

"Ponyta!"

Bede's shout went unheard, Ponyta's body took the blow of a shadow ball head on. Its legs scrambled before it fell and rolled onto its side, letting loose a few defeated cries and sparks of light before it gave in and stopped moving. Bede stared on in shock, not even pulling for the Pokémon's ball as it lay heaving for breath on the ground. 

Gengar stood a few steps away, breathing hard but still standing. It finally had stepped back from attacking once its opponent was incapacitated. It was like it could sense the difference in this battle; no crowd, fewer rules. It wouldn't hold back when Bede didn't pull the trigger himself and stop the fight. Allister, of course, hadn't pulled the stop himself. He truthfully… wasn't sure on when that was appropriate, until the Pokémon was in the state it was now, of course. 

Bede had suddenly stretched out one hand, and the Ponyta was returned. His expression looked more akin to if Gengar had taken it's life, rather than a simple loss. Allister went to return Gengar, only to flinch at the sting that took hold of his arm; the shoulder of his shirt was torn up, the Psychic beam having just touched his skin. It had left behind a red mark, as though he'd been hit.

"Nngh-!"

Across the field, Bede's shoulders shirked to his ears, his teeth bared, face scrunched up, but his eyes were shut tight. 

"T...That- that wasn't fair! Something must have gone wrong! It- it doesn't make sense!"

Bede was suddenly shouting. The quiet that had fallen after their battle had finished became more apparent when Bede broke it. He grabbed his own head, staggering on his feet while unable to contain his raging emotions. 

"I practiced for this! I should have won that! I should have won!"

Allister shuddered and his head turned when a hand touched his uninjured shoulder; Opal had come up behind him. Her hand was gentle and light as she spoke softly to Allister.

"My, that did get quite heated near the end there… are you alright?"

Allister quickly nodded a few times, too nervous to take his eyes off of Bede who continued to pace and curse. As soon as his eyes found their way back to Opal and Allister, however, Bede quickly came closer.

"Opal- that wasn't me! That was a fluke! I knew I should have stayed with just Psychic types! I would have won with Duosis and my own Pokémon!" 

Bede was steaming. He wasn't even looking at Allister, which brought him a bit of comfort, but he was still nervous as Bede stood just five feet away.

"I'm much better than this! I would have never lost if I just had Duosis- I'm not-"

"Bede, dear."

The second Opal interjected, Bede's jaw shut. The emotion still showed in his wide eyes and clenched teeth. He was angry, but… reluctant. Opal stepped away from behind Allister and came between the two of them, Bede shuffled back the smallest step.

"It's quite alright. That battle was very exhilarating! Believe it or not, you performed just as I expected you to, for the most part…"

Opal chuckled. She wore a gentle smile. Bede's distraught expression loosened, he now looked at Opal with slight confusion. Allister hung back, his hand already subconsciously at his shoulder while he returned Gengar more carefully. 

"What are you talking about…?"

"You'll understand in due time. If I simply told you what I think the right answer is, you wouldn't learn a thing."

Frustration crossed Bede's features again, but luckily in a less explosive way. His head turned from Opal and his shoulders slowly fell as he exhaled. Opal stepped back so she could look at the both of them, Allister stopped touching his shoulder.

"Let's get out of here then, quick. Wouldn't want to get caught here, though it may be too late…" Opal tapped the end of her umbrella on the ground, before she turned and started away. "It's late, too! Much too late for kids like the both of you to be awake! We'll stop by the Pokémon center nice and quick then head off to bed."

Bede immediately followed behind Opal, Allister stalled a second before he followed as well, making sure to lag behind Bede. He watched his shoulders as they walked, and kept two arms length of distance. 

"How am I to get the chairman to-"

"No more of that, Bede," Opal insisted ahead of Bede, both of their voices low. "Worry about it tomorrow. We must hurry before someone finds us."

Allister didn't say a word, and Bede fell silent. 

...He didn't trust Bede, not at all. 

He wasn't sure what Opal was thinking or planning. Bede was exactly the kind of person Allister struggled with most; mean, explosive, and difficult to get along with. Allister didn't know why Opal would want such a trainer around, either. She wasn't mean herself, but Opal wasn't one to let someone trample over her. Had she really thought Bede would lose...?

Once they got outside, the cool night air made Allister realize how warm he had become from the intense battle. Distant Pokémon chirps and sounds filled the quiet, the streets of Ballonlea were empty besides the occasional shadow and the plethora of dimly glowing mushrooms. Before they even made it down the path from the Gym, Allister disappeared into the woods, separating himself from the two to run off on his own. 

\--------

For the time being, Allister's gym leader uniform jacket was replaced with a black sweater he had gotten in a gym event that was a few sizes too big. 

He didn't hear from Opal again the following day, and he didn't try to contact her himself. He stuck closer to Stow-on-side and its outskirts to pass the time in solitude and quiet. The red mark had turned into a full fledged bruise overnight, though it looked slightly odd, its shape more like a streak of paint from the way a psychic attack hit. Allister didn't mind it, even if his dominant arm and hand were now weaker for the time being. He busied himself by taking walks through the ruins with his Mimikyu and Yamask as he usually did. However, instead of his thoughts lingering with the dead, they were stuck on the previous night's endeavors. 

A gentle tug at the brim of Allister's sock got his attention.

"Ah…"

Mimikyu stood at his feet. In the dark of the Glimwood tangle, its false head was lit up by the soft colors of the glowing mushrooms. Despite its face being invisible through the costume, Allister could feel the worry that the Pokémon conveyed.

_ "What's wrong?" _

"...Nothing… 'm sorry, was I ignoring you…?"

Mimikyu glanced out into the bushes they were surrounded by. They had gone off the path, like they usually did. Allister was at ease as soon as the paths and people disappeared, but it was obvious that his mind was still elsewhere. When Mimikyu looked back to him with its persistently worried feeling, Allister bent down and gently picked it up.

"...What d'you think Miss Opal's planning…?" Allister asked, using both arms to keep Mimikyu near his chest. Mimikyu adjusted it's position and got comfortable, it's cold body weighed close to nothing in Allister's hold. 

_ "She's always planning." _

"I know. But that last battle was funny…"

Allister continued to slowly wander as he held Mimikyu. He was without a basket today; No requests from Opal to find her anything. His Gym duties were mostly postponed, partly because his uniform was being repaired. He had heard word that a few people had caught wind of the battle from the night before, but it didn't concern Allister too much. 

_ "You should ask her _ ."

"Mm… I dunno..."

Allister felt like he'd just get another vague answer. Opal seemed to prefer letting people come to their own conclusions. Admittedly, it was a bit frustrating at times. But the positives usually outweighed the negatives…

_ "Don't you trust Opal?" _

Allister's walking slowed, he had to move his whole head to look down at Mimikyu because of his mask. The Pokémon watched him in return, the ghostly body no warmer than when Allister picked it off the ground.

He didn't know how to answer that one. He guessed from how he acted, he did, at least on some level.

It had taken a bit of trust in the first place for the interactions they had to become more natural. When Allister started out as a gym leader, he was much more shy than he was now. Most of his communications with the league staff was done curtly, with simple yes or no answers. Allister wasn't allowed to do much with paperwork or organization because he was so young and had no parents or guardians in contact. Admittedly, the staff didn't seem to know what to do with him. It was stressful and awkward, especially with how friendly and social the other leaders were. Allister definitely felt like he didn't belong. He was strong enough, but "leader" was never really a descriptor he fit into.

He hadn't truly met Opal as a gym leader, however. Their first real meeting was outside the gym. Allister had been wandering again, late at night after the trainers had gone to bed. He was exhausted by a slew of battles that day, and from a busy, buzzing mind. He yearned to be away from the bustling crowds in the stadium, and the people who wanted nothing more than to beat him so they could continue their journey. He missed his alone time. 

Yet even with his solitude back that he had been waiting for, he was… Lonely. His Pokémon fell fast asleep after a long day. He shouldn't have even been out in the wilderness while his Pokémon were out of commission, but staying at his stadium in Stow-on-side would have just left him in even more turmoil. Boiling in his own mind in a small, lonely, room the past nights leading up to that day hadn't been comfortable in the slightest.

"My, what an hour it is for you to be out here, Allister."

Allister had nearly jumped out of his skin from the sudden voice behind him. He quickly glanced over his shoulder, climbing to his feet as he looked at the person up and down. Slowly he uncoiled as he saw the older woman. It only took seconds for him to recognize her in the dim light; Opal. Her silhouette was unmistakable, with her big bushy fur trim around her neck and her brimmed hat. She stood on the other side of a fallen tree, her hands resting on the handle of an upside down umbrella. 

"Oh, I'm sorry to startle you! It's difficult to give a warning when it's so quiet," Opal apologized gently. Her chuckle betrayed her amusement, but it didn't seem hostile. Her jewellery jingled as her hand went between her cheek and her umbrella. "You wouldn't happen to be lost, would you?"

Allister shook his head. 

"That's good! It can be quite easy to lose your way in the tangle. Especially with many tricky Pokémon out and about that like to play games…"

Allister stood still as he watched her. She spoke casually with him, yet Allister was still nervous. He was used to being scolded or lectured by older people, being told not to be out so late or to stop wearing his mask. But Opal didn't seem to be agitated.

"Could you help me back to Stow-on-side? I've got some business there. I know it's quite late for women like myself to be out as well, but it is very important."

Allister hesitated. His first instinct told him to back off, to try and avoid letting someone else intrude on his evening. He knew his fair share of stranger danger, of course, and even though he had Pokémon to protect him (sleeping Pokémon, but he could wake them if need be,) it was definitely something that was out of his comfort zone.

Yet… The thought of leaving Opal on her own was just as unappealing. Allister would look back on this later, knowing Opal was very much able to make her way to Stow-on-side completely unharmed, but in the moment, he had forgotten she was a gym leader stronger than himself. 

Only letting his hesitation linger for a few moments, Allister finally nodded, approaching the fallen tree. He climbed back over the trunk so he could get them back towards the path. Opal was smiling.

"Oh, thank you, dear! I do appreciate it. Which way was it now? South?"

"Mmh…"

Allister motioned with his arm and encouraged the woman to follow him, picking the easiest paths through the thickets so as to not put her through too much trouble. Opal followed him right back to Stow-on-side without issue, and seemed thankful. 

"You should come by my house in Ballonlea sometime, as a thank you," Opal offered. "My dear Alcremie loves making sweets, but sadly I'm too old to be eating them myself."

Allister didn't end up taking up the offer until later, when Opal had caught him lingering around the edges of Ballonlea in the late evening. It had been a brief first meeting, but Opal had been welcoming and kind; she apparently invited many other local kids and their Pokémon to have sweets at her home when she wasn't busy with her gym. She wasn't shy in the slightest, and even told him some stories on how she pulled tricks and pranks on other gym leaders. 

She then asked if Allister could find her a certain kind of mushroom in the Glimwood Tangle, and so he did. Then she asked for a flower. Then a pot from Stow-on-side. Allister's free hours of roaming now had moments peppered throughout of looking for the few simple things that Opal asked for, then visiting the older woman to deliver them. Then he simply visited on the weekends in the evening. Before he knew it, he would be on her couch, listening to her tell a story.

"Yes, yes, this one is perfect!"

The red mushroom Opal held between two fingers was brightly colored, its white stem clean after being washed in a brook. Allister had tried to linger by the door, but Opal had insisted on him coming in for tea, even just for a few minutes for his troubles. 

"I'm tempted to even dry this out and keep it, but it would simply be a waste not to use it…" Opal mumbled as she set the mushroom down in the bowl with her other perfume ingredients. Allister sat across the couch from her, nodding with his hands on his knees. A beat of quiet passed.

"...Is everything alright, dear?"

Allister's eyes flicked up to hers, then back down again just as fast. He shifted nervously as he nodded.

"Excuse me if I'm overstepping a touch here, but you do seem a tad… Dreary. Did something happen?"

Allister's shoulders deflated. He gave a slow shake of his head. Opal rested her chin in her hand, and hummed softly.

"...You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. Sometimes doing so could even make it worse," Opal said, nodding understandingly while Allister watched her. He felt guilty for acting closed off, but sharing what was going on in his head would be too much to ask for. He was embarrassed enough that Opal could tell something was getting him down that day. 

Suddenly, the woman stood from her end of the couch. Allister watched her go across the room to her bookshelf, then pull at an old leather spine. The book slid from the case and into her weathered palms.

"I've got just the thing!" Opal proclaimed, her tone still soft as she shuffled back to the couch. She sat down- now on the middle cushion- with the book in her hands, and offered it to Allister. "Here."

Allister straightened his back, startled slightly, but his attention was quickly drawn to what she thrust into his lap. The brown leather book was cool to the touch, its texture more smooth than he anticipated. The front had small letters written in chipped gold ink that sparkled in the dim light;  _ Tales of Eastmoor lake _ . 

"This one was one of my favorites when I was just a girl," Opal explained, her voice had fallen to an excited whisper as if she were telling him a secret. She placed her palm on the cover as Allister held the book in his lap, her thumb traced over the old lettering. "Something like this will take your mind elsewhere for as long as you'd like. I know most young people these days aren't as interested in reading, especially with more exciting things going on... but I do think someone like you could appreciate this."

She tapped the cover with her nail before she took her hand back. Allister studied the front, and was almost too shy to open it up. However, he pulled the cover and meekly leafed to the first page, letting the thin yellow papers slide between his fingers. He was first greeted with a map drawn in ink. It depicted rolling hills, expanses of clear water, and clumps of tangled trees, all bordered with neatly drawn swirls and flowers. A Gossifleur and a Bonsweet were sitting together in the bottom left corner, camouflaged with the foliage. 

Allister turned the page again, and found where the story began. Text lead with a carefully drawn and decorated capital letter, sitting just under the title for the chapter.  _ Into the mist… _

"You can borrow it for as long as you'd like," Opal said, finally bringing Allister's attention back after he had been absorbed in the book's art. She was still smiling softly at him as she spoke. "I know you'll take good care of it. Being grounded in our world is quite important, but sometimes it's best to give your mind a break and allow yourself to wander."

So Allister did. He read for the rest of the evening on Opal's couch, until he fell asleep. He left early the next morning before Opal could find him, but… Didn't feel guilty or too nervous over it. It was odd. He still preferred to be on his own, to have the freedom he did to go where he pleased and to not have the pressure of another person watching him. Yet the visits with Opal felt different. She was patient when they were one on one, and didn't judge or make fun of him despite her trickster nature. Most surprising of all, she had at least a small, easy answer to help him feel better when he was down. He still kept their visits sparse, but they were pleasant, and Opal seemed to appreciate his company every time. 

Attention came back to Allister once his aimless walking had taken him to a roadblock; a fallen tree. His wandering had led him back to the spot he had been thinking about. The carpet of moss was dotted with patches of coin sized luminous mushrooms and leaves, plants that grew in the perpetually dark forest. Allister stopped to study them with Mimikyu still held in his arms, the ghost Pokémon having rested its head on his chest. 

A small flicker of light in the distance caught his attention. Allister looked up, watching between the thick trees and gnarled trunks as more bits of light flashed between the branches. The thick trees muffled most of the sound, but it appeared to be…

Allister carefully scooted over the stump, then went sneaking through the undergrowth to investigate. As he drew closer, the noise grew more apparent, as did the flashing lights and crunching foliage.

"Left! Psychic!"

A Grimmsnarl lashed out with long locks on its hands, whipping the ground where Hattrem had just sprung from. The familiar flash of psychic waves pierced through the air and hit Grimmsnarl. The Pokémon howled and attacked more ferociously, slamming trees with its whips and just barely missing Bede who ducked out of the way. Hattrem kept dodging as fast as it could, aided by Bede's quick commands yet barely able to get in its own attacks as the wild Pokémon lashed out. 

Allister stood by in silence and watched as the battle played out. Mimikyu was watching as well, awoken from the lights and noise. Hattrem tumbled over itself to dodge a whipping tendril and turned more sharply on Bede's shout.

"Attack now!"

Blindly it shot out another psychic beam, which successfully struck the Grimmsnarl's hand that had reached out to attack. Gimmsnarl spat and yowled, it recoiled from the hit and the scales finally seemed to tip. 

"Psybeam!"

One final strike sent the Pokémon running. The Grimmsnarl turned tail and went barrelling through the brush, successfully losing Hattrem and Bede who didn't try to follow it. Hattrem was left panting and worn on the ground, still standing but obviously exhausted. Behind it, Bede was just as exhausted. Just as quickly as the forest had burst into bright lights and loud noises, it fell quiet and still again. 

"...Heh…"

Bede took a few steps forward, then dropped down to one knee. Hattrem turned to come closer as well, Bede cupped its head gently with both hands. 

"That was even better. We're getting much better at this."

Hattrem cheered softly and swayed in Bede's hold, insistently pushing its head into his hands. Bede petted it a few times and was smiling. Allister ducked down slightly to try and stay hidden, hoping his white mask wouldn't give him away in the dark. However, he couldn't look away. Somehow, seeing Bede and his Pokémon like this made him feel… strange.

"Thank you for trusting me. We'll be strong enough for the Chairman in no time, see? It wasn't even that scary tonight."

Hattrem gave a few more happy sounds. Despite how intense the battle had been, Bede had quickly become soft while speaking to his partner Pokémon. The ordeal was foreign to Allister. He was used to the intense emotions Bede showed when he was angry, determined or confused. Now he was gently praising his Hattrem, in what seemed to be a genuine way. 

This was so strange on it's own, he nearly didn't notice how Bede had mentioned the Chairman.

Something brushed Allister's side, his whole body startled. 

In a snap he lost his footing in the thick undergrowth and fell. Luckily, his fall was cushioned by a knot of bushes, but he was quickly entangled. He bit on his stunted sound of surprise, and quickly scrambled to at least push himself over, since Mimikyu was scrambling under him after being squished.

_ "Miiiyu!" _

"Who's there?!"

Allister rolled over onto his back quickly, but before he could turn to look at Bede in alarm, he spotted the troublemaker; a Morgrem stood just a few steps away, shocked from the chain of events it had caused. In both hands it held a simple red Pokéball. Allister's heart skipped a beat as he felt his hip; he was missing a ball.

"H...Hey!"

Morgrem turned in a flash, zipping into the bushes behind it. Just as Allister scrambled his way to stand out of the crushed bushes, Mimikyu went sprinting after it, darting through the underbrush. Allister's heart leaped to his throat.

"M-Mimikyu! No!"

"What the-?!"

Allister flinched when Bede's voice rose; the other now stood just three steps behind him, shocked to see Allister in the bushes. Allister only glanced at him guilty for a few seconds; he couldn't let Mimikyu go off alone, it would get lost! And his Pokéball!

"S-Sorry!"

Allister ran through the bushes as well, using his arms as a shield as he forced his way through. 

"Hey! Wait!"

He didn't have time to look back. His mind and heart raced as he went stumbling and running. Fear made his thoughts jumbled, the only thing he could focus on was figuring out which way Morgrem and Mimikyu would have gone; the environment was thick and deafening, he could just barely hear other rustling over the sound of his own in the dense forest.

"M-Mimikyu! Mimikyu!"

Allister called, forcing as much of a loud voice as he could. But he couldn't see it, or hear it. His heart was pounding in his ears. Mimikyu ran off. Morgrem ran off with another one of his Pokémon. The forest was too thick, they could have gone anywhere in the time it took him to get up!

His friends. His friends were getting lost.

A clearing came into sight. Allister was breathing hard, his face hot behind his mask. He stumbled on the uneven ground before his shoe caught on a tree root, and in a second he was on his face again, this time on solid ground.

"A-Ah..."

Ouch. Allister was stunned for a moment, shocked by the impact. His head was rattled. After a few seconds of trying to kick back into gear, he picked himself up again, and went to sprint across the clearing.

"Stop! I said  _ stop! _ "

A hand grabbed the back of Allister's hoodie. Allister jerked and staggered from the sudden stop, his head whipped around and he met eyes with a just as wild gaze.

"What are you doing?!"

Bede let go of him as soon as Allister turned. Allister looked to Bede and back at where he was going in a panic.

"M-My Mimikyu-"

"Why were you watching me?!"

Allister startled to Bede's accusative tone. He froze for a moment as his mind tried to process what was going on and what to say on top of his panic. All he could think about was how Mimikyu was getting farther and farther away by the second.

"Were you really out here stalking me? For what? Was beating me in front of a gym leader not enough!? Have you nothing better to spend your time on than gawking like a creep?!"

Bede was angry. Not yelling, but he was cross. Allister blinked at him, his arms already halfway up in his defence. His sleeves were covered in mud. His hands and knees stung, skinned and dirty. Everything stalled as he watched the infuriated trainer before him burst.

"I'm plenty strong, you know! You should be scared! That last loss was nothing, it was luck, I'm coming back again even stronger! I will be the next champion of Galar! What were you even trying to do!?"

Bede finally paused for an answer. Allister stared at him, mouth slightly agape behind his mask. He resisted the urge to turn and look at where Mimikyu had run off. Mimikyu was long gone by now. 

"...M-m…."

He tried to speak, but an unsteady sound came out instead, not unlike a whimper. He couldn't think of anything to say. His head tilted downward slightly, and he found himself shaking. He managed to take one step back, which was soon followed by another. He took in a shaking breath. Bede didn't make a move to close the space again.

"...What?"

Allister tried not to, but he was trembling. 

"D-Don't- hey, answer me!"

Allister slowly grabbed his elbows. He tried as hard as he could to calm down, but he was scared. He was overwhelmed. He lost two Pokémon to who knows where. Bede was angry at him. His shoulder hurt. He bit his lip and screwed his eyes shut, quivering in place. There was no point in running now, Mimikyu was lost…

He turned away from Bede, and quietly tried to pull himself together. He snuck his hands under his mask to rub his face and took deep breaths, still trying to strategize. Mimikyu and the Morgrem couldn't have run off too far, right? Mimikyu was fast and smart, Mimikyu wouldn't get itself irreversibly lost. It would come back any time…

"I- I don't... don't look at me like that!"

Allister finally realized Bede was talking behind him, but not to him. A soft Pokémon cry answered with a hint of frustration.

"You saw what happened!"

_ "Hyu…" _

Bede exhaled heavily. Silence hung thick in the air, bringing the soft sounds of insects and leaves to Allister's attention again. Even in the dead of night, the mushrooms provided their soft glow to the small clearing that was just enough to see. The rest of the forest was dark. Twisted trunks and roots, uneven ground and burrows that could swallow even an attentive trainer whole. Allister couldn't get his mind off Mimikyu. His options were bleak; keep looking, or… try to find his own way out without Mimikyu. There would be no way for him to get back to this same spot in the morning. Would Mimikyu know its way out?

He was still breathless after all his running. 

"...H...Hey. Do you know where we are…?"

Allister peeked over his shoulder at Bede who stared back with a slight crease to his brow. Hattrem stood at Bede's feet, looking to Allister as well. Allister took a quick glance around their surroundings. They were in a small clearing, but no paths led off from it. They were pretty deep in the woods now from their haphazard running. Allister sniffed and adjusted his mask.

"...I-I...Dunno…"

Bede chewed his lip. He turned his head and looked away from Allister. "...I'm not sure either. There were a lot of turns…"

Allister finally faced Bede again. He tried to wipe off his hands on the stomach of his hoodie, his palms numb from hitting rocks and branches. Hattrem wandered out into the clearing to look around, while Allister then quietly bit the bullet and checked his ball holder. He gave it one spin to bring the remaining two balls to his hand; Cursola and Gengar. He was missing Mimikyu and Yamask…

Bede finally walked past Allister as well, looking around at the trees and then up at the canopy. He seemed to have calmed down, though he was mildly frustrated he didn't seem to be on the verge of yelling again. The corner of his mouth pulled down to expose teeth, his eyes narrowed in the grimace.

"...Rubbish. Can't get a Corviknight taxi in here, and it's the dead of night."

No, a Corviknight taxi definitely wouldn't come get them here. It'd be impossible to even tell the pilot where they were. 

Allister stood still for a moment, and gathered the rest of his strength. He had to find Mimikyu and Yamask. There was no way he could risk losing them. 

Allister started off towards the opposite edge of the clearing, only to flinch when the back of his sweater was tugged on again.

"Wait- what are you doing?"

"...Mh…"

"The path is at least the other way."

Allister turned to look at Bede again, making him let go of his sweater. Bede's brows were furrowed under his white locks, Allister tried to ignore his intimidating aura.

"M...My Mimikyu… it ran away."

Bede blinked, his brows shooting up a moment.

"Your Mimikyu…?"

"I-It was chasing a Morgrem," Allister explained, voice small and soft. "Morgrem stole Yamask's ball. I was… trying to catch it. But I wasn't fast enough."

Bede's eyes flicked over Allister's mask. He seemed to unwind slightly, his mouth drew into a line and his gaze finally dropped as he thought hard.

"I see…"

"I need to go find him."

"Stop-"

Bede shifted to grab him again when Allister went to turn, but stopped when Allister did. Frustration sparked in the other's face again.

"Listen, it's the middle of the night, and you're down two Pokémon! Even just being where we are now is dangerous!"

"M'... Mimikyu is in danger..."

"Y...Yes, sure, but it's a Pokémon, and you're not. If a Grimmsnarl caught you, you'd be a goner. What would Opal say?" 

Allister watched Bede silently. He didn't understand why Bede kept stopping him. Allister knew it was unsafe, but Bede hadn't exactly been happy with him earlier, calling him a creep and all. Even now, Bede seemed frustrated. 

With a quiet click, one of his remaining Pokéballs popped off of his holster. He held it in both palms, wary about letting it free and risking another Pokémon getting lost.

"Gengar…"

"Hey."

Crossness seeped into Bede's tone again. Allister's eyes flicked up to his more quickly, his chest tightened.

"You're not an idiot. You know very well how dangerous it is in here," Bede spoke slowly, as if explaining something to Allister. "You're not stupid in the slightest. You're a gym leader. You must know that the best thing to do would be to find our way out and get help."

Allister looked down at Gengar's ball again. He grasped it gently, letting his own roughed up palms warm it up.

"...M… Mimikyu can't find it's way back all alone." Allister muttered. "If I leave here, I might never find my way back. I can't…"

_ I can't risk losing my friends _ . It wasn't even an option now. He didn't care if Bede thought he was stupid or not, he couldn't go back without Mimikyu and Yamask and risk never seeing them again.

After a few beats of quiet, Bede let out another heavy breath. He dragged a hand across his face to move his bangs, before he bent his knees and dropped his bag.

"Fine. Okay."

Hattrem made a sound and Allister's attention came back to Bede. Bede looked back at him with narrowed eyes, but with much less ferocity.

"I'm not letting you go off alone. I'd never hear the end of it from Opal, especially if something happened. We'll stay right here until the morning."

Allister watched in confusion as Bede pulled three Pokéballs from his belt. He expanded each one before releasing his Pokémon into the clearing behind Allister. Allister side stepped out of the way, his head flicking back and forth as more Pokémon joined their group; Ponyta, Gardevoir and Mawile. 

"Stay here…?"

"I'm too exhausted to be hiking back anyway, that Grimmsnarl really does give you a work out just to not get caught in the crossfire," Bede grumbled and seemed to be talking more to himself than Allister. He knelt in front of his pack and started pulling out his pop up tent. Hattrem shot Allister a glance curiously before it gave a few sounds and started helping with the tent. Allister finally pulled his eyes off of Bede so he could look at the clearings edges again. 

…He supposed… This was an okay mid ground. Allister was truthfully exhausted and sore. With how dark it was, he wasn't sure if he could even continue searching. What Allister was more confused with was how Bede was offering to stay with him. 

Allister gave Bede as much space as he could as the other pitched his light pink tent on one edge of the clearing. Ponyta trotted around cheerfully, excited to be free from its ball while Gardevoir soundlessly crept around, levitating clumps of dry twigs and sticks. Hattrem helped Bede who was looking through his pack, while Mawile drove pegs through the tent loops to secure it to the ground. The Pokémon were all well versed in setting up a camp, just like an experienced trainer would. 

Uncertain, Allister looked down to the ball he was still holding. He didn't know how to act around Bede. Was he being nice…? Was he just annoyed that he could get in trouble after being roped into this…? Either way, Allister didn't know what to do with himself.

So he picked the best thing he could think of. He stood off in the opposite corner from the tent and he quietly released his two remaining Pokémon; Gengar and Cursola. As soon as Gengar was out of its ball, it greeted the crouching Allister with a big smile and an uppity growling sound. Cursola's ectoplasmic body built itself up before it greeted him just as cheerily, slowly waving its otherworldly arms. However, the Pokémon's cheerful mood faded when they noticed Allister's appearance just before them.

_ "What's going on…?" _

_ "Are we fighting?" _

"No… it's a long story," Allister mumbled to his Pokémon, keeping his voice soft as to try and not let Bede hear. Gengar blinked at him while Cursola's body tilted questioningly. Allister rested his hands on his skinned knees, and did his best to stay composed in front of his friends. "Everything… Will be okay. We're camping with Bede for now, 'cause we're a little lost…"

Gengar was already looking out into the camp, shifting to peek around Cursola. Allister wasn't new to camping with his Pokémon, of course. He used to do it all the time before he was a gym leader. But this was the first time he was camping with another trainer, and without any of his own gear. 

"Please be good," Allister reminded his Pokémon gently, looking between the two to make eye contact. Neither seemed comfortable enough in that moment to start acting up, but Allister wanted to make sure they knew not to right then. Bede wouldn't appreciate it, and Allister didn't need anyone else running away. 

Before he could get up again, Gengar and Cursola's attention was taken. Alllister looked to his left where the two Pokémon were, and was surprised; Mawile was walking towards them. It slowed once their small group noticed it, but came closer anyway, something held in both hands.

_ "Maw…" _

It had a cloth, and a bottle of fresh water. Allister was reminded of all the times he had seen that same Mawile in Opal's home. She was quite a powerful Pokémon, but with a friendly nature, despite her intimidating looks. Allister looked over her head to Bede, but the other was busy with something on the ground, his back to Allister across the clearing.

"T...Thanks." Allister accepted the water and cloth, earning a smile and a cheerful sound from Mawile. Allister looked down at himself and realized he really needed it; he was still covered in dirt from all his running around. He shifted to sit down completely, before setting down the water and cloth so he could pull off his dirty sweater. 

_ "Hello! What's going on?" _

Gengar had quickly shuffled around Cursola to speak with Mawile, who began chattering in its own speech to the other. Allister started working on cleaning himself up, but of course kept an eye on the two. 

Within a few minutes Allister was dirt free, getting Gengar's help to clean his mask so he wouldn't have to take it off. Cursola had made it's slow travel further into the clearing, and ended up being stopped by Gardevoir who spoke with it as well. In the time it had taken, Bede had started a small fire in the middle of the clearing. 

Allister had thankfully managed to calm down, but of course he couldn't keep Mimikyu and Yamask off his mind. Were they even safe? He wasn't sure if they would know how to take shelter, or if Mimikyu had even managed to catch Morgrem and get Yamask back. 

Allister hugged his knees as he sat crouched. It was so much to think about, so much he couldn't predict, he was getting worked up again. The urge to get up and start looking for his friends was unbearable, but he knew it would most likely be pointless. He couldn't do anything to save them…

Allister's attention was drawn by the sound of a Pokémon being returned. He looked over and saw Bede now standing, the fire having grown significantly. A wire base held up a cooking pot over the flames. Bede turned sharply to look at Allister, making him stiffen.

"Come here."

Allister hesitated. Bede quickly motioned with a hand.

"I- I need help with the curry. Quickly, before things burn!"

Allister scrambled up to his feet before lightly jogging over; Ponyta and Mawile stood on the other side of the pot, the area surrounding the fire was significantly warmer than the far corners of the camp. Bede thrust a worn, long wooden spoon into Allister's hands, then went fishing through his pack.

"Stir it slowly while I get some other things."

Allister tried not to take a moment to think about it. He dipped the spoon into Bede's already boiling curry base and began to stir, its savory aroma wafting hotly through the holes in his mask. Bede audibly chopped something up behind him, rustling containers and bags, before he finally came back to the fire; he dumped a heaping bowl full of assorted chopped berries that Allister carefully stirred into the mixture. The scent quickly changed to something sweet, with a sour edge. Bede shuffled around a few more things out of sight before coming back to Allister's side.

"Yes, like that, that's fine. You can just set the spoon there on the handle. It should only take a few more minutes."

Allister couldn't help but keep glancing at the other as they worked. Bede was speaking in a rather matter of fact tone, not cross or mean, but not particularly warm either. Once everything was set down and the two of them backed off a step, Bede exhaled and ruffled his own hair. 

"You must have camped and cooked before, right? You're… How old are you?"

Allister glanced sideways at him, but didn't say anything.

"...You seem to know your way around this, is all. With cooking."

"...I have… camped before."

"Yeah, that's what I mean."

Allister let his arms hang. He watched the boiling pot. This was… Kind of awkward now. Allister wasn't sure which was worse, having Bede angry with him, or… whatever this was. 

"I camp all the time. Best to keep your mind in that place when you're doing heavy training," Bede went on, kicking the ground with his heel. At the other side of the pot, Ponyta leaned to sniff the air. Bede kept talking, though his tone was… a bit strange. Like he was tense. "It's sort of a normal thing with trainers these days. Lots of camping. Much cheaper than hotels when you're traveling Galar."

Allister kept glancing Bede's way. He knew all that. Was he just talking to talk? Or did he think Allister didn't know because he was younger…? Either way, Allister didn't really take offense to it. He was just glad Bede wasn't angry with him, and he supposed he was also glad he wasn't out here alone. Though it was how he usually preferred to be, being lost and alone without his friends would have ended much worse than simply being scolded by Bede then having to awkwardly camp with him. 

A few more moments of quiet passed. The two watched the bubbling pot. Bede kept glancing up and around the clearing every once in a while, though it seemed their Pokémon were happily socializing even as it was so late. Bede let out a longer breath, almost soundlessly, but Allister saw his shoulders deflating in his peripheral vision.

"...so-"

A loud ringing made both of them jump. Bede scrambled and patted his pockets before he successfully released his Rotom phone from a zipper. It flew up before falling into his palm, Bede turned away from Allister as he swiped the screen and brought it to his ear.

"Hello? Yes, yes, it's me... I'm in the Tangle right now, way off the path in the middle of nowhere."

Bede scratched the back of his head as he spoke to whoever was on the other end of the line, Allister watched and rubbed the side of his jaw. Who could be calling this late…? He looked around the camp again, though it was always hard to judge night from day in the deep darkness of the Glimwood Tangle. His gazing stopped when he spotted Gardevoir, however, standing just off to his right by a few feet. The Pokémon was standing still, just staring into the woods. Allister leaned back, but couldn't see what it could be looking at. The psychic Pokémon simply gazed silently into the dark trees with its hands rested at its waist, its flowing body shifting slightly as if rustled by a breeze. 

"Allister?"

He perked and looked back when he heard his own name. Bede had glanced back at him as he spoke on the phone.

"Yes, actually, he's with me. It's… a bit of a long story, but he's definitely here."

Allister tilted his head, curious. Bede glanced away. 

"No, no. We're staying here. Something happened and it's too risky to try and walk back while it's so late."

Allister pulled at the arms of his sweater that were tied around his waist. He was curious as to who was calling, though he was sure it could only be a few people; the staff from his gym, or Opal. Usually both parties were pretty lenient on letting him roam and not asking where he was unless they needed him, so it was odd to hear his name being mentioned.

"Yes- Yes, I'll- Yes. We'll talk about it tomorrow. If we're not back by noon, send a pack of Yamper to come sniff out our corpses," Bede's voice fell to a grumble. "Don't bother right now, it's much too late. Alright- yes, I won't, yes. Alright, bye."

Bede finally brought down the phone, tapping the screen with half a scowl before sliding the phone back into his pocket.

"It was Opal. She was wondering where the lot of us went. Guess it's for the better that someone at least knows where we are… how in the world did she even get my number…?"

_ Opal. _ That made… a little sense. She was nosy, but she didn't usually hound Allister this hard for where he was or what he was doing so late at night. While Allister was busy pondering what had just happened, Bede pulled something from his pack.

"It is indeed much too late, let's eat and get to sleep. The sooner we wake up tomorrow, the sooner we can look for Mimikyu and be out of here."

"M-Mh." Allister hummed his agreement and watched as Bede quickly but skillfully started to fill plastic plates with curry. Just as Allister turned to go check up on Gengar and Cursola, Bede stopped him with the edge of a plate.

"Here," He mumbled, Allister's hands flashing up to take the plate on instinct after it nudged his chest. Bede wasn't looking at him, but thrust another into his other hand as he handled his dishes. "I've made too much, Hattrem isn't eating tonight."

Allister's reaction stalled another moment as he was taken by surprise, but he could do little else but adjust his grip and nod a few times. "T-Thank you."

When Bede didn't answer, Allister left over to his Cursola, Gengar meeting up with him as well. The three sat in their small circle while Bede sat just behind them with his own remaining Pokémon. Allister helped Cursola eat from a spoonful, the ghost having a small appetite, while Gengar demolished the other plate. He felt bad that Mimikyu and Yamask wouldn't be eating with them, and wondered if Mimikyu was managing to take care of itself. 

In what felt like no time at all, everyone finished eating. The last few wisps of fire glowed softly in the dark, the ebbing red spark was no longer enough light to cast shadows. Allister had slipped his jacket back on to try and keep out the cold. Gengar had snuck in closer to Allister's side; the ghost Pokémon still didn't emanate heat, but it's deep purple fur was soft and at least completely tangible, which was more than a lot of ghost types. Cursola had pulled back it's ectoplasmic body so it could rest as a small ball in its lower half, sitting against Allister's bent knees.

Allister was exhausted. He wasn't used to sleeping in such an exposed area, but it was hard to fight off the urge, even in the cold night. He laid his head down on Gengar's stomach who took no breaths. Just eight feet away in Allister's line of sight, Bede was still sitting up straight, watching what was left of the fire. Ponyta had long since fallen asleep in his lap, Mawile sat by his side while Gardevoir still soundlessly watched the edge of the woods. Hattrem hadn't been brought back out of its ball since Bede returned it.

"...Hey."

Bede's voice caught Allister's attention just as his eyes were shutting. He blinked a few times, shifting with a soft grunt. Bede didn't look his way. Instead, his eyes reflected the last bits of light still smoldering before him.

"...Do you…"

Bede trailed off. He almost seemed to regret speaking just moments after he began. The slight wrinkle in the bridge of his nose slowly flattened out once more, however, and Bede seemed to focus. His hold on the Ponyta in his lap moved so he could hug the Pokémon closer, Ponyta not even budging in its dead sleep. Its head rested in the crook of Bede's elbow, its well maintained mane flowing under his arm. 

"Do you think… I'd be strong enough to take Opal's place?"

Bede still didn't turn his head to look at Allister when he asked the question. Allister was surprised, though the impact was muted from being half asleep. Bede seemed to sense this without even looking.

"Not that I care about your opinion on it," He went on in a mumble, baring teeth just for a moment before he quietly bit on his pride. "...But you're a gym leader too, so… I figured you'd be more direct than Opal."

Allister stared at the other. The flickers of determination in the other's eyes were faded. Bede wasn't just tired from the long night alone. Allister faintly wondered why he hadn't gone to sleep in his tent yet, and why Bede was bringing up such a conversation with him.

Allister had to think about it, though. The quiet spanned between them. He was reminded of what Opal had told him recently; His gym leader duties were never truly over. He didn't feel like a gym leader at that moment, but it dawned on him that Bede probably still saw him as one, even after seeing Allister in a moment of weakness. He wondered quietly what he should say. Then, he thought instead of what a past version of himself would have needed to hear more. 

"...Your friends… Will take you there."

Bede finally glanced up, and seemed surprised that Allister actually responded. Allister stayed still against Gengar's stomach.

"If… you and your friends aren't… connected, 't won't work out… you gotta, um…"

Carefully, he laid a hand on top of Cursola's body. It was cold and hollow, free of the ectoplasm that would regularly make fingers stiff just by lingering too close.

"...Trust them… a lot. And they gotta trust you. You can't battle all alone."

Bede stared at him hard, before he looked back down to the Ponyta sleeping soundly in his lap. His brows knit together, and once again he stared into the fire, with that far off look in his eyes. Allister slowly laid his head back down onto Gengar. He hoped that would suffice…

Minutes passed, and Bede didn't ask him anything more. He simply cradled his Pokémon and stayed sitting where he was. Allister couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. He finally let them shut while cuddled up to his Gengar, and drifted off. 

\---------

_ "Fwaah…" _

_ "He's not a morning person." _

_ "...Fweh…?" _

_ "...Allister…? Hey… hey..." _

Nudging, gentle and almost feeble, slowly brought Allister back into wakefulness. The soft ghostly voice in his ears stopped when he finally blinked open his eyes. A grunt leaked from his nose. 

_ "Good morning!" _

Allister shuddered when he realized the form in front of him; Gardevoir stayed knelt just a foot away while the retracted Cursola pushed at Allister's arm. It had crawled its way into his lap during the night, and now peeked up between Allister's fingers to see if he had woken up. It's hollow, ghostly voice never ceased being softly cheerful, and Gardevoir didn't flinch even when Allister did.

"Ah…"

He was still in the woods. It took a moment for Allister to remember what had happened and why he was sleeping on the ground. Something pulled at his shoulder, which he touched with a few fingers as his head turned in confusion; a blanket fell off his arm, lying over his lower half. Gengar sat up just behind him, still letting Allister lean on it somewhat as he oriented himself. The Pokémon gave a low, questioning sound.

"I'm awake…"

The woods barely appeared any different. He looked around between the Pokémon and was still met with thick darkness, only illuminated by the same glowing mushrooms. The camp was quiet, and it appeared as though Bede and his other Pokémon weren't around the fire anymore, save for the Gardevoir who had come over to Allister.

_ "Fwehh." _

Adjusting his mask, Allister checked the now mostly empty clearing one more time before his gaze meekly fell on Gardevoir. The Pokémon was looking at him, but Allister wasn't sure what it wanted. 

"Is...Somethin' wrong…? Where's Bede…?"

_ "Fwuh." _

Gardevoir shook its head, Allister looked to Cursola who shifted to face him.

_ "He went out!" _

"Out…?"

Allister's brow furrowed as he glanced back to the tent. He couldn't have gone back to Ballonlea already, his tent was still set up, and Gardevoir was here. Confused, Allister slowly pulled his legs out from under Cursola before climbing to his feet. He kept the flannel blanket over his shoulders as he tried to warm up properly. Gardevoir and Gengar stood as well, though Allister had to pause a moment to yawn.

"Where…? He isn't lost, is he?"

Allister really hoped not. It was bad enough that Mimikyu and Yamask were still missing, Bede getting lost in the dense forest was a whole other level of danger. Still groggy and having trouble seeing through his own sleepy haze, Allister snuck a hand under his mask as he wandered to Bede's tent. Gardevoir simply watched him as Allister meekly peeked through the window; empty, save for Bede's pack. He turned to face the fire pit, which was now just white ash and soot covered rocks. Allister wandered further around the perimeter of the clearing, checking the tree line in hopes that Bede would just be nearby.

"B...Bede...? Hello…?"

Allister called, struggling to bring up his own volume. Nothing in the woods answered. The glowing mushrooms sat between the trees and stared back at Allister. A pit had grown in his stomach again, full of worry. Bede… he would have to go after him. 

"Ah- um…"

Allister turned only to startle when he found Gardevoir had followed him, standing just five feet off with Gengar a few steps behind it. Gardevoir was unreadable, though Gengar seemed curious and off put.

_ "Wheewh." _

"I'm… gonna go look for him. I should… um…"

He looked awkwardly at the tent, pulling at the neck of his sweater. He used his other hand to fetch a ball from his holster, and returned Cursola without word. He would have to pack everything up and take it with him, since if they left they probably wouldn't be able to find their way back…

Gardevoir started towards him, just before a far off sound caught both of their attention. Allister and Gengar turned to face the other side of the clearing, Gardevoir quickly moved towards the sound with flowing steps. It took a few seconds for the noise to be identifiable, however.

"This way…? Slow down- I said I can't get over things that easily!"

Bede, complaining off in the woods. Allister quickly crossed the clearing to stand at Gardevoir's side as he listened to the other struggling through the brush. The first thing that emerged wasn't Bede, however.

_ "Ooo?" _

The teapot floated effortlessly over the bushes, cracked and decorated with painted blue lace and a gold trim, similar to the cups Opal had in her house. It took a few seconds more for Allister to recognize the rare but not unknown Pokémon, Polteageist. It stopped once it spotted the small group waiting in the clearing, before it smiled then turned and gave a cheerful sound back into the bushes.

_ "We made it!" _

Crashing through the bushes, Bede landed awkwardly on one foot and made Allister jump. Bede squirmed while half bent over to free his other leg, his teeth bared as he yanked it through the brambles. As soon as he was standing upright again, the familiar form in his arms quickly caught Allister's attention.

"M-Mimikyu!"

_ "Kyuu!" _

The Pokémon jumped from Bede's hold in a heartbeat. Allister fell to his knees just as fast and welcomed the Pokémon into his arms. Mimikyu hopped right against his chest, pushing its false head into Allister's shoulder who was still shocked to see the other.

_ "I was lost! I'm sorry!" _

Allister squeezed Mimikyu's small body and pressed his mask to it's disguise. "I-I'm so glad you're safe…!"

He pulled back to take a quick look at his Pokémon, who in turn looked to him; it's disguise was tattered and ripped, but Mimikyu itself seemed to be doing okay, from the strength it had to jump into his arms like it did. As Allister pulled his Pokémon closer again for another hug, he finally thought to look back to Bede, who was still standing in front of him.

"It was quite a way further down a stream," Bede breathed. Allister was surprised to see how visibly tired the other was. Bede was plucking leaves and bark dust off of his shoulders and head, his knee pads scuffed and the shins of his pants damp. After Bede brushed himself off a few more times, he reached into his coat pocket and retrieved something else.

"Here, this too."

Allister quickly reached out when Bede tossed a ball at him; a red Pokeball. He brought it closer to himself with another wave of relief; Yamask…

He pressed the trigger and watched as Yamask was released. The Pokémon appeared between them, floating at Allister's eye level. It immediately rushed closer as well, aware of all the trouble it had been through as it allowed Allister to hold it closer as well in one arm. 

_ "Maaa!" _

"T...Thank you!" Allister quickly muttered, holding Mimikyu and Yamask close and bowing his head. Bede coughed into his fist, still adjusting his clothes after his run through the bushes.

"I just thought I'd speed up the process of us getting out of here. I still had plenty of grinding to do too..." Bede went on in a matter of fact tone. He cut himself off, however, with a long yawn. He covered his mouth with a hand while the Polteageist drew closer. It looked Bede up and down before looking to Allister next, its tiny hand on its cheek.

_ "You're lost, too…?" _

"We are still lost…"

"This guy seems to know the way," Bede mumbled after regaining himself and motioned to the teapot Pokémon. Poltergeist nodded enthusiastically as Bede stepped around Allister and went for his tent. "I'll grab my stuff and we'll get going. The sooner I'm out of this damned forest the better."

Allister couldn't agree more. He stood from the ground with his Pokémon and went back to Gengar, who greeted the two recovered friends with a big smile and a laugh. Polteageist floated after Allister curiously, though Allister was more focused on tending to and doting over his recovered Pokémon. Mimikyu had even grabbed hold with a shadowy hand to make sure Allister wouldn't put it down, though Allister had no plans to. 

It was definitely a huge shock and surprise that Bede had gone out to look for his Pokémon. Allister was overjoyed just to have them back, and could barely express it besides holding Mimikyu and Yamaska tight and mumbling softly to them. As he took the blanket off his own shoulders and wrapped Mimikyu and Yamask up together, Bede quickly disassembled his pop up tent and got his bag all packed up. All of his Pokémon were still returned in their balls besides Gardevoir, who helped the boy pack up and made soft sounds at him, though Bede didn't respond to her. In the meantime, Allister returned Gengar, and made sure to secure the ball to his holster. 

"Let's get going, the sooner we're out the better," Bede mumbled Allister's way as he hopped his bag up onto his shoulders. Allister was quickly nodding while still holding Mimikyu tight, Yamask floating cheerfully just at his shoulder. Allister finally got a good look at the other's faces now that his attention was off his Pokémon, and… Bede was definitely tired. His eyes drooped, his hair slightly ruffled more so than usual. Before Allister could even think to comment on it- not that he would- Bede turned to the Polteageist that had been following Allister around since it got to the clearing.

"Which way to Ballonlea?"

Polteageist pushed up the teapot lid on its head, before motioning to the woods to their right. Bede turned and started into the bushes, and Allister was quick to follow, Gardevoir, Polteageist and Yamask just behind them.

_ "Can he understand me…?" _

_ "Allister listens! He listens very well!" _

The quiet chatter of the ghosts behind him came to Allister's attention under the crunching of leaves and twigs, but he didn't respond for the time being. He kept Mimikyu bundled up in both arms and watched Bede's shoulders, following in his footsteps as the other lead way through the brush. Without the clearings, the woods were much darker, the glowing mushrooms either covered up by foliage or lying far off on the uneven terrain. Bede didn't speak as they walked, and neither did Allister. He himself was still tired after an uncomfortable sleep on the forest ground, and he was beginning to doubt that Bede had even slept at all the previous night. 

_ "Everything's been quiet," _ Polteageist said, floating along just over Allister's head and speaking to Yamask.  _ "Not even Morgrem around as often. I think they've run away…" _

Allister tilted his head to the side. Perhaps Bede's battling had scared them off. It had been impressive how he had Hattrem make a Grimmsnarl run off. Bede had managed to quiet the Glimwood Tangle in just one furious night. It was no wonder the other was tired…

A few minutes passed of their quiet walking, Polteageist and Yamask spoke to one another while Mimikyu slept as a dead weight in Allister's arms. Gardevoir and Bede were silent, and Allister didn't mind the quiet. His thoughts were stuck with the idea of lying down in his bed when they got back, and not getting up for a good while. It was evident that Mimikyu was just as tired if not more, he would have to spoil it when they got back to help Mimikyu feel better.

"There it is!"

Bede sighed loudly, voice thick with relief and frustration. Allister didn't have to lean to see around him since Bede hurried over the edge and found his way into a narrow clearing that Allister quickly recognized; the path, about in the middle of the tangle, but it was still the path home. Yamask and Polteageist gave cheerful sounds as they floated into the clearing, Allister quickly followed them through the brush. Just as he hit the edge of the clearing, a tree root snagged his ankle, and his whole body jerked.

Then, he was suddenly upside down.

"AH- Damn!"

A stunted sound escaped Allister's throat. All he could see was the shocked faces of Bede and his Pokémon, and the whole forest turned on its head. He had been picked up by the ankle by what felt like a strangely warm, thick rope, as if he weighed nothing. Yet just as fast as the grip had taken him, a cry sounded, and he was released.

Psychic energy luckily caught him before he could land on his head, setting him down roughly but much softer than if he had been dropped. Allister immediately scrambled to get his feet under himself and ran towards Bede, the other grabbing his shoulders when he was close enough before Allister turned to see what had got him.

_ "Fwhooooh!" _

The tall, pink shape had turned away as well, looking back into the forest.

"Hatterene!"

Bede called out its name in frustration, grabbing Allister roughly to shove him to his side while he himself fetched a ball off his belt. Mimikyu had awoken in Allister's grip and now clung to his middle again with its shadowy arms. It looked as though Gardevoir had stolen Hatterene's attention by hitting it in the back, the two Pokémon now staring each other down through the trees like two Meowth on the verge of going for each other's throats. Bede threw out two balls, releasing Ponyta and Mawile who were immediately at ready to battle.

"My, it must be quite the story how you've got the forest witch herself coming after you."

Allister and Bede both flinched and looked back.

"O- Opal!?"

The older woman stood casually behind them, as if she had been there the whole time. Bede's eyes looked like they would pop out of his head as he looked between the woman and the battle in front of him.

"Tell me it later," She insisted, her hand landing on Bede's shoulder and turning his attention solely to the battle in front of them. "You've got something important to do right now, yes?"

"Mawile!"

All the Pokémon moved at once. Mawile sprung with its larger mouth snapping, and was immediately batted away by the witch's clawed tendril. Ponyta sent shots of Psychic energy alongside Gardevoir, attacking the wild Pokémon and forcing it to go on the defence. Even Allister's Yamask hopped in on instinct, who Allister quickly began to command. 

The Hatterene was relentless and strong. With it's brute strength alone it was able to hold off the hoard of Pokémon attacking it. The tree leaves rustled and let out a hush from the sweeping breeze of psychic energy that swept through them. Bede didn't falter, even though Allister could hear his own blood rushing in his ears. His heart was pounding, though he wasn't sure if it was in fear. Whenever he looked to Bede, sheer determination showed in the others faces. 

"Psychic!"

The blow from Ponyta and Gardevoir made Hatterene finally stumble. Another blast of cool air swept through the usually stagnant forest and made the trees creak and thousands of leaves rustle and fall to the forest floor. Annoyance became visible on the Pokémon's face. It looked back at Allister and Bede scornfully for just a moment, before it suddenly vanished, as quick as it had showed up.

The forest fell quiet again. 

Their Pokémon came together in the small clearing that had appeared from psychic energy tearing up the ground, looking about in all directions for any sign of the witch. Beside Allister, Bede was panting.

"I knew… The bloody thing was following us," Bede breathed, before he gave an annoyed click of his tongue. Holding two balls in one hand, the other around his own stomach, he returned Ponyta and Mawile once more.

"Excellent work!"

Allister and Bede both jumped when a hand landed on each of their shoulders. Opal smiled down at them, Bede looked back at her in bewilderment. 

"That was quite the fearsome foe, a full grown wild Hatterene! I'm amazed that she hadn't attacked sooner!"

"Gardevoir has been out all night," Bede mumbled, the aforementioned Pokémon drawing closer as if checking on it's master. Yamask approached Allister as well, who reached up to touch the Pokémon's arm.

"You did good…"

_ "That was scary!" _ Yamask answered, though it still seemed excited after having won the battle. Mimikyu made a few small sounds in Allister's hold and buried it's false head in his chest.

_ "I wanna go home…" _

"You did a great job, Bede."

When Allister looked up again, Opal had turned her attention fully on the other. Bede was returning it, looking to Opal meekly, almost as though she had caught him doing something wrong. His expression loosened just slightly as her gentle praise continued.

"If it wasn't for your predictions and precautions, things could have gone terribly awry."

"W...Why of course, I'm the best trainer out there," Bede said, matter of factly, yet his tone wavered. "I know how to handle myself and be safe in a wild area-"

"The both of you should have known to never camp in the Glimwood tangle, however. That was definitely a poor decision. That Hatterene could have attacked last night and finished the both of you off before you could even reach for a Pokéball."

There it was. The both of them stiffened up to Opal's sudden scolding. Guilt showed itself in Bede's face as he made eye contact with Allister through his mask, Allister felt the same.

"B-But- it was-"

"Come now, you can give me all your excuses later." Opal was already ushering them along, pushing their backs to get them to walk. "Ballonlea is closest, you should get to a Pokémon center right away."

Without room to argue, and much too tired to do so, the two boys did as they were told, stumbling off to Ballonlea with their Pokémon and Opal in tow. 

\-------

Just two minutes after Bede had gotten all his Pokéballs back from the nurse, he had fallen asleep. 

Opal had dropped them off at Ballonlea's Pokémon center and exchanged a few laughs with the nurse about the two kids running off into danger, before she herself left on apparently urgent business. The nurse offered them the now empty back room where traveling trainers would usually stay so they could relax and recover, which was where Bede had immediately passed out. He sat against the wall while on a cot on the floor, still in his clothes from that night save for his coat and shoes. Hattrem had finally been released as well and now slept with him, leaning against his thigh.

Allister considered taking a nap as well, since just looking at Bede and Hattrem made him want to sleep too. But he quietly kept himself busy helping Mimikyu repair its costume, rubbing dirt from the fabric with a cloth as the Pokémon stitched up the holes with a ghostly aura that made the seams disappear. He glanced at Bede every few moments to make sure he was still asleep, though it was obvious just by looking at him that Bede wouldn't be waking up any time soon.

_ "Is something wrong?" _

The small, curious voice spoke up from in front of him. Allister looked back down, pulling the cloth from Mimikyu's false head. He had accidentally rubbed out some of the orange cheek when he wasn't paying attention. Mimikyu's head tilted questioningly as Allister searched for a marker in his pockets.

"I'm okay."

_ "Hm…" _

Mimikyu looked across the room where Allister had been looking at the slumbering Bede. Allister popped the cap off the orange marker, steadying the false head with one hand and using the other to fill in and brighten the cheeks. Mimikyu sat still for him. 

_ "He sure is tired." _

"Yeah…"

Allister kept his voice to a whisper. He wanted to sneak off already, all of this had become quite overwhelming. He didn't know how he could thank Bede for helping him, or if Bede even wanted him to. Allister still wasn't sure why the other had been kind to him, because it did not feel like he looked up to Allister like a gym leader, or respected him like he did Opal. He had trouble figuring out how Bede worked, which wasn't usually the case with loud, rude, abrasive people. 

Allister popped the lid back on the marker and slid it into his pocket. He climbed his way up to his feet, and left Mimikyu behind on the cot who turned to watch Allister walk. Warily, Allister came closer to Bede, who had begun to softly snore.

Without skill or grace, Allister unballed the flannel camping blanket left by Bede's pack, then carefully pulled it over the others front, hanging it off his shoulders. He made sure to not let it fall over Hattrem's face, though the fairy Pokémon didn't budge at all, just as asleep as it's master. Once his job was done, Allister stepped back to look over his work, fingers threading together in front of his stomach.

"...Let's go, Mimikyu," Allister ordered softly, coming back to his Mimikyu and picking him off the cot. Mimikyu didn't hesitate or argue, allowing Allister to pick it up and walk away with it. 


	2. Dusty Stow-On-Side

It was early afternoon when Allister awoke again.

His gym staff had been worried, and of course asked him what had happened the second Allister came slinking through the front door of his gym. He told them how he had become lost and ended up camping with a trainer he knew, and awkwardly declined when one of the gym trainers offered to get him a proper cell phone. He didn't like the idea of others being able to find him or speak to him whenever they wanted. But, as he laid down for a quick nap in his room, he thought about what could have happened if Bede hadn't been there.

With instructions from the gym staff to take it easy and stay close to the gym for the time being, Allister had found a quiet spot on a roof in Stow-on-side. He left Mimikyu in its ball to continue resting and instead had Yamask keeping him company in the shade. The Pokémon swayed cheerfully and made small sounds, talking to Allister who sat with his knees pulled up near his chest.

_ "I wonder where the teapot is!" _

"Teapot…"

_ "Very friendly, and very funny!" _

Yamask's rune swayed back and forth at the end of its tail as it floated around the empty rooftop. It kept glancing back towards the tangle, but Allister couldn't even imagine going in to wander again after the previous night. All he could think about was the thick, clawed tendril grabbing him by the ankle, and how not even himself had seen it coming. If Bede hadn't been prepared and hadn't left his Gardevoir out to walk with them, he would have definitely been toast.

Knocking around an old balled up piece of paper, Yamask's attention was stolen as Allister's began to drift. He hoped that Bede didn't think badly of him after the previous night. Even though Allister would have run off after Mimikyu either way, he knew his actions came off as immature and short sighted to the other. 

...Although, Allister wasn't sure why it was bothering him so much. It was only natural by now for him to be nervous over if a stranger was angry with him or not, but he could usually hide himself until the problem just went away. He didn't have to ever battle or even see Bede again, if he didn't want to. Yet something about this felt different... probably because that had been the longest he had spent with someone even remotely close to his age in a while. Someone being a human and not a Pokémon, of course.

Allister blinked once he noticed Yamask wasn't in front of him anymore. Glancing to his right, the Pokémon was peering over the small wall separating them from the plummet to the street below. Curious to see what his Pokémon was looking at, Allister turned around as well, grabbing the top of the wall to steady himself before peering down.

"It's the Chairman!"

"What's Chairman Rose doing here…?"

A small group had formed; not much, but the usual crowds that would stand around Stow-on-side’s market had gathered in front of the building Allister sat on, and they were looking in through the front window. Allister leaned forward a bit more, curious, though the name quickly sparked a flicker of interest in him; Chairman Rose…

"I guess he's here on business?"

"Maybe it's the mural. D'you think they'll fix it?"

"And cover up the statues? No way, that old piece of rocky junk is better off in a heap!"

Allister pulled away, looking to Yamask before glancing at the ladder that led down the back of the building. He touched the mouth hole of his mask guiltily. It would be strange for the Chairman to come by for the mural during such a busy season... Allister had no plans on talking to the man, but his nervous curiosity got the better of him. He would have to sneak around his own town if he didn't figure it out now. He took light steps to the ladder, before he climbed down to the alley behind the building he was on. Yamask followed him all the way down, floating without sound. Once his feet hit the dusty pavement, he looked around until he spotted an open window. 

He looked at Yamask. Yamask stared back at him, tilting to the side as if silently asking him the question;  _ Are you gonna try and spy on them? _ … Maybe… a little. If he knew what the Chairman was here for, he could relax, right? It probably wasn't anything serious, anyway. Anything he got into had to be beans compared to all the stuff Chairman Rose was busy with on a daily basis. 

Allister gave in. He tiptoed over to the window, carefully stepping up onto an upturned bucket to reach it. His fingers retracted at first when he touched the sides of the windowsill; dusty… Noise from within quickly brought him back on track however. He shyly peeked in through the back window of the building, squinting and trying to see through the small opening in the frosted glass.

"...Suppose it's to be expected. We were warned of this in the first place, and it's not like the other Gym leaders are any more responsible in staying at their post or being available."

"Really, there should be a bit more responsibility or liability in our system."

The voices were familiar yet unfamiliar. Allister made sure to keep as out of sight as possible, feeling the cool breeze seeping through the open window and his mask from the air conditioned room inside. Chairman Rose and Oleana were in the small café. Oleana's tall, thin form was easily recognizable as she stood in front of the Chairman who was sat on the edge of a booth chair. The café was otherwise empty, as it usually was, the lights dim to stave off the usual heat in Stow-on-side. 

Allister hadn't seen the Chairman or Oleana outside of the gym league in ages. He could remember one time Chairman Rose had dropped in for a visit while he was in, but otherwise Allister was usually either sleeping in the morning or busy doing his own thing. He didn't like being around the Chairman, anyway, since Oleana was pretty intimidating.

"Yes, yes, I agree. Responsibility…" Chairman Rose's voice drifted off in a mumble. The man scratched his beard and seemed to be thinking, Oleana shifted on her feet and kept her arms crossed. 

"...May I finally ask what it was you were planning on doing?"

"Hm?"

A beat of quiet passed. The Chairman thought on Oleana's question. Allister couldn't see his expression very well, but from his tone, it seemed like he was smiling.

"Nothing drastic as of now, of course. I just thought I'd give the warning in person to get across the seriousness of the situation. Though, I don't want to scare the boy, since it's not like this is entirely a bad thing…"

"...They simply shouldn't disrespect you like this," Oleana finished for him. Chairman let out a breath as he sat back in his seat.

"Yes, of course. Respect, and lots of big responsibilities…"

Despite the passive response, Chairman Rose seemed to be thinking hard. Allister's throat tightened, worry made him apprehensive. Were they really talking about… him? His battle with Bede quickly came to mind once more, and how it would have been impossible for absolutely no one to have heard them dynamaxing, even in the soundproof stadium. Allister shrunk slightly against the window. Was the Chairman mad with him…?

Quiet had come between the two adults. Allister wanted to sneak away, but was too scared they may hear him with how dead the air had become. Finally, Oleana spoke up in a lower tone.

"...We've continued collecting the wishing stars, so there's no issue there. We should have enough soon."

Allister blinked. Wishing stars…?

"Thank you," Chairman Rose said simply. "I appreciate it. We've got them all a lot sooner than expected, thanks to him."

Rose grunted as he pushed himself back up to stand and brushed the wrinkles from his shirt. Oleana stood stiff before him, like a shadow on the wall. Oleana's words still hung in the air, even silencing Allister's anxiety for the moment. What did Rose need wishing stars for? Weren't those just for new trainers and making dynamax bands? As Allister tried to sort out his confusion, Rose spoke to Oleana with a more friendly and upbeat tone.

"Let's go look around for the boy one more time, yes? I'd love to walk around and see the monuments, it's been a while since we've enjoyed Stow-on-side."

"We can't be slacking off too much, mister Chairman."

"Just for a few minutes more. If I could fill that time with something important, I would."

Oleana fell quiet, before she turned towards the door. "...of course, Chairman Rose. Too much pressure certainly could hinder things."

"I find this bit to be rather important as well," Rose added, the two becoming more faint and harder to hear as they headed towards the front of the building. "These people still matter, even if…"

Allister stepped down from the bucket once the two were out of earshot. His shoulders deflated with an exhale, he caught eyes with Yamask who looked at him curiously. 

_ "What's going on?" _

"...'M not sure…"

Allister scratched his head as he thought. Maybe the Chairman was just using the stars to help more budding trainers. He couldn't see any other reason why he would need them or even have a use for them, so maybe it wasn't worth thinking so hard on. 

...He would have to hurry to Ballonlea, though. It was only fair to warn Bede and Opal that their battle had been found out and the Chairman was after them. Allister turned to the ladder back to the roof, and a door was shoved open five feet behind him, causing himself and Yamask to jump. 

"Oh- Allister!"

Allister whipped around unsteadily and blinked at the man; one of the storekeepers from the café, someone that Allister recognized only slightly but was sure the other knew him well from the gym battling scene. The man set down a garbage bag before speaking to him.

"What're you doing back here…? Ah, never mind that, Chairman Rose has been looking for you! You should meet up with them A.S.A.P, it must be important since they're down here!"

Allister stood stiff and awkward, the urge to turn and start climbing the ladder almost unbearable. However, the man opened the back door wider, and motioned with his other arm.

"Here, you can just come this way, if we're fast enough we can probably catch mister Rose and Oleana still! Hurry hurry!"

"Hh… ok…"

_ Crumbs _ . Before he could think up a proper excuse he was already ducking under the man's arm and letting him usher him through the kitchen and towards the front doors. Yamask followed close behind, calling its questions softly which Allister had to ignore for the time being.

_ "What are you doing? You're gonna see the Chairman? Aren't you in trouble with him?" _

Not necessarily. The chairman was always… Friendly, at least on the surface and from what Allister had seen. And they would be in public. He would have much rather to sneak around and not have to confront him, but he knew figuring out an excuse or simply running off from the store keeper man wouldn't have been an easy task. As Allister quietly tried to analyse and prepare himself for the situation to come, the store keeper chattered in his ear and hurriedly led him out the front door.

"Don't want to waste too much of his time now, do we? Oi! Mister Chairman!"

They stepped out into the sunlight, the store keeper first. As predicted, Rose and Oleana were just fifteen feet down the road, and turned to the store keepers urgent call. Allister stood still, comfortable behind his mask as the Chairman's eyes fell on him. 

Then, he was nervous. 

"Ah! There you are!"

"Little guy was just hanging around back, I thought I'd catch you folks before you went on another goose chase around Stow-on-side!" The store keeper explained cheerfully, unaware of the damage done as Chairman Rose and Oleana shook off a small crowd that had stopped them and walked back towards Allister. Allister did his best to act calm in his exterior, his arms resting loosely at his hips while Yamask floated behind his shoulder. The chairman, dressed in a pair of dress pants and a desaturated red polo, stopped just in front of Allister. Oleana stood behind the Chairman's shoulder, her blank, deadpan expression falling on Allister as well.

"Thank you so much, I'm sorry we couldn't get a hold of you ourselves earlier!" Rose apologized light heartedly, dismissing the store keeper with a mouthed thank you and a dip of his head. The store keeper tipped his hat before hurrying back into his store, Allister didn't turn his head to watch him leave, but sure felt it when he did.

"I guess it can't be expected to be the norm for everyone to have a rotom phone," Oleana said understandingly, and Allister held back any reaction. The conversation he had eavesdropped on before clashed with the messages he was getting from them now and made him wary, but he did his best not to show it. He definitely didn't want to let them know he was spying on them…

"Mh…"

Rose watched him with kind eyes, and the same gentle patience that he always wore. The kind that Allister never felt comfort in like other kids may. "I just wanted a quick word with you about something. Would you mind if we… Oh!"

Rose was looking over his head now. Allister and Yamask turned on instinct just as another voice spoke up.

"Hey… What's happening here?"

Allister's head tilted to the side in genuine surprise and curiosity. He hadn't seen the man in ages, and if it were not for his remarkable appearance Allister may have very well not recognized him; Piers. Dressed in his gym uniform shorts, a tank top and his jacket tied around his waist, the man was slightly pink in the skin. His gaze fell on Allister for just a second, but quickly flicked back to the chairman and Oleana. 

"Piers!" The Chairman greeted him cheerfully. "What brings you all the way out here?"

"I could ask you the same," Piers chuckled blandly, rubbing the nape of his burning neck. He looked to Allister once more, almost like something was wrong. His upper lip lifted slightly as his brows furrowed. "How have you not baked yourself to a crisp in that get up, kid…"

Allister touched the mouth hole of his mask and tilted his head the other way. He was usually only out at night, so he supposed Piers had a point…

"It is quite sunny out this way!" The chairman agreed with a chuckle. "It's a nice change of pace from the usual fog over Circhester bay, don't you think?"

"Eh…" Piers shrugged and shook his head. Oleana stepped forward, butting in insistently.

"We were just about to have an important conversation with this leader here."

"Important conversation?" Confusion showed in a wrinkle over the bridge of Piers' nose. "What could a kid like this get himself into? He’s sure to be pretty well behaved, especially to be a gym leader, right?"

"My, it's nothing terribly awful!" Rose laughed and waved his hand, his other found its way to his dress pants pocket. "Just important business. However.. it is quite lucky that you're here, because I'd like to have a similar conversation with you. How about we all go to the Stow-on-side stadium and find ourselves a meeting room there?"

"Oh- sure, sure, guess we can get this over with now," Piers agreed with a few nods, passive in demeanor. However, Allister could spot a hint of curiosity in the other. He didn't look back at Allister again, and Oleana butted in just as soon as he agreed. 

"I'll go ahead and have the staff prepare the meeting room."

"Excellent. Thank you, Oleana."

The woman started away immediately, making a beeline for the stadium. Rose simply smiled at the both of them, his hands folding over his stomach. 

"I'm sure the stadium is air conditioned, too."

"It should be, else all the trainers would fry before they could even think about the minor league," Piers muttered and rubbed his burnt shoulder, eliciting a wince from himself. "Making the round to spread some important info again, are you, Rose?"

"Yes, yes. I find it important that I do see all of you in person outside of battles now and then. We should support one another, even if it means coming out to places unusual for ourselves."

"Yup, I know that one pretty well," Piers flashed a sarcastic half grin. "I've got nowhere else to be for now, though. Let's get going."

"Of course!" Rose clapped his hands together and seemed pleased. "It shouldn't take them long at all to get a room. The staff at dear Allister's gym are quite capable."

Rose had looked to Allister, and paused as if expecting an answer. Allister blinked and stalled for a moment, before giving a quiet nod.

"Mh."

"Let's get going."

Rose turned and led the way, and Allister and Piers followed.

The walk to his gym was quiet, besides the Chairman waving and greeting a few people whose faces lit up as soon as they saw the man in their town. They stepped into the gym which was comparatively cooler than outside in the harsh sunlight, and were given quick direction by a staff member to head down the back hall that Allister usually took to go to his dorm. Instead, they veered off earlier in the thin hallway and met Oleana in a doorway to the staff room. She stepped aside and motioned them all in.

Without further comment, Rose sat himself down at one side of the simple white staff table, and Piers took the spot directly across from him. Allister only stalled a few seconds as his nervousness kicked up; it had been ages since he had sat with an adult at a table like this. He could barely remember the last time he had talked with Rose like this, or anyone like him. 

He forced himself to move before it became obvious he was scared, picking the seat just next to Piers as Oleana had already gone to the one next to Rose. He let his hands rest in his lap under the table, and for a few seconds, Rose simply smiled at him.

"...I don't want to come across as angry with you or anything of the like," Rose began. His tone was soft, as if he was reading a children's book. Allister stared at him in silence, confident and comfortable to an extent while behind his own mask. The urge to pull Mimikyu's ball from his belt and release the Pokémon for comfort was tempting, though he busied his attention with predicting what Rose was going to say.

"And I'm aware that this may not be entirely your doing, you may have even been unaware of what has happened."

Allister didn't move an inch.  _ Bede _ .

"...There's a certain challenger who has been disqualified from the league. Curly white hair, a bit older than yourself," Rose motioned to his own head as he spoke, his gentle and almost positive tone unbroken. His hands came to rest folded on the table in front of him, but Piers spoke up before he could continue.

"Wait, the Psychic type kid…? Wasn't he quite the challenger?"

"He was a popular contender, but he misbehaved irreparably," Oleana spoke up, her tone more matter of fact than the Chairman's. She sat stiff shouldered in her chair as if a metal rod kept her spine straight. "He's been disqualified from participating in our gym league."

"Do you know who we're talking about?" 

Allister glanced Rose's way when he asked this, who was looking right at Allister. Of course he did. The dilemma quickly began to put pressure on him, however; should he just be truthful? Did they have proof? Allister wasn't even sure how Rose could have found out about their battle save for someone who saw or heard it telling him. 

His head dipped forward slightly, his hands sliding tighter together in his lap. He tried to keep his guilt to a minimum, but he could already see Rose relax his shoulders.

"...It's alright. As I said, I'm not angry with you."

Piers had looked his way as well, and seemed curious, looking between Allister and the Chairman. Allister stared into his lap as he searched for the right words. Rose seemed to be waiting patiently for his response.

"...It… was just… for fun."

"...I understand." Rose nodded his head slowly. "You meant no harm by it. We simply must enforce the rules, however. Whether it be for a badge or not, allowing disqualified challengers to continue to fight gym leaders puts out the wrong message."

"Jeez," Piers mumbled beside Allister, he sat back awkwardly in the metal chair. "It's been ages since I've heard of a challenger being disqualified. What caused this? Er… if you don't mind me asking."

Rose paused, his gaze falling onto the table between them as he took a moment to gather his thoughts.

"...An unfortunate mishap," Rose began, speaking smoothly, though Allister could tell he was picking his words carefully. The man sealed it with a saddened smile to Piers with his knuckles curling together on the table. "I don't enjoy doing such drastic things, of course. But it was quite the ordeal. A monument here in Stow-on-side was destroyed purposefully by the challenger, and I simply couldn't stand by any longer."

The monument… that mural behind his gym that had crumbled? Allister had heard bits and pieces of what had happened, but had chalked it up himself to the mural being old and not meant to last, anyway. The statues behind them had been something much more appealing. Yet Allister couldn't keep his attention on that aspect for long. His focus kept drifting to Bede, curiosity and confusion making him tip his head and touch the bottom of his mask. Bede didn't seem like the type to just destroy things for fun. Did Allister even know him well enough to judge that, though? They had only spent one battle and one night in each other's presence. The lasting image in his mind was Bede sleeping in the Pokémon center, after staying up all night in the Glimwood tangle…

"Rubbish... That's pretty rough," Piers muttered, the corner of his mouth pulling down in a grimace. "Guess something like that is bound to happen now and then."

"Precisely. It's simply an unfortunate situation," Rose concluded with a firm nod. He finally looked at Allister again, who's gaze shifted back to him silently. The man kept his gentle, kind demeanor. "We should be firm with it though. So long as we show no tolerance, there should be fewer repeats of this in the future, hopefully."

Allister responded with a small nod. Yet his mind was uncommitted. He still hadn't made up his own opinion on whether Bede should have been disqualified, mostly because it didn't feel like it made sense. Of course, he had no plans on telling Rose that. He would prefer if the man thought he was obedient and agreeing with him so he would go away soon. To Allister's luck, Rose smiled more genuinely, and seemed to believe it.

"Thank you for understanding. I've already had a word with Opal, and I just wanted to spread the reaffirmation to the other gym leaders that the only stadium battles should be league approved."

Ah… so he had already been to Ballonlea.

"Sure," Piers agreed, tone bland per usual, though he seemed to mean it. "Shouldn't be a problem anymore now that we've addressed it. I don't know how you've got the energy to be battling in the off hours, anyway…"

Piers tossed Allister another glance as he spoke. Allister returned it, but didn't say anything. He had been taking a break since most trainers from this season had moved on from him at this point, but he didn't need Rose to think he was slacking off, too…

"It's the kind of energy and passion for battling we love to see in a gym leader."

Allister perked and looked back to Rose. The man was cheerful still, which contrasted Oleana greatly who had barely emoted since entering the room. "This is all for fun as well, remember!"

"Just remember the responsibilities alongside your position, and everything should be fine," Oleana finally piped up once more. 

"Yes, and about that," Rose continued, his focus back on Piers. "If you do see the disqualified challenger, please report him to the staff. We've been unable to properly pin him down after he's popped up in this incident."

"Sure," Piers nodded. "I'll keep an eye out for him."

"Thank you. Thank you to both of you, really."

Rose stood up from the table, and Allister calmly followed, eager to get out of there.

"I know your days are busy, but it's nice to be able to talk with one another in a less hurried or public setting."

"Yeah, feels like it's been a while…"

"Always something important to do," Rose chuckled. "Hopefully in the future things will become a bit more lax again. See you later, Piers, Allister. Thank you for your time."

"Cheers, it's no problem."

"Mh."

Allister nodded while standing by his own chair, Oleana and Rose had already started for the door. With one last friendly wave, the two left through the staff room door. Allister watched the door click close, and felt a weight drop off his shoulders.

"Hey."

He blinked and lifted his head to the voice behind him; Piers was still here. Allister turned to face him curiously, Piers standing from his chair as he did. The man seemed uncertain before he spoke.

"...I have to talk to you, too. This is a bit odd after the conversation with the Chairman, though, but bear with me."

Allister looked the other up and down. Piers didn't seem like much of a threat. His appearance, though different, didn't phase Allister too much. Allister had been hoping to get back out to see Bede as soon as possible, however…

When Allister didn't respond at all, Piers continued, "...Opal called me here."

Allister blinked, surprised. "Opal…?"

"She wouldn't go very far into specifics," Piers went on, motioning aimlessly with one hand and rolling his eyes. "The lady really likes to play with any conversation. She let me know the situation with Bede and the unauthorized battling, however, so… That was a bit of a lie, before. I know kind of where the kid is. I don't know what Opal wants, though..."

Allister paused, his shoulders deflating slightly. Goodness. "...Miss Opal… Is hard to figure out..."

"I hear that one, kid." Piers clicked his tongue and sighed. He stepped towards Allister, motioning the other to move as he did. "Come along, then. Let's go find her. She wanted all of us to meet up apparently, and I was lucky enough to find you when I did."

Allister allowed Piers to walk past him before he followed, quietly trailing the other gym leader without fuss. Opal had a lot of them running around recently. Allister would have enjoyed some time on his own, especially after the preceding night, but he couldn't bring himself to sneak off again the next time Piers took his eyes off him. Opal wouldn't ask something of him so risky if she didn't find it important. And the risks only seemed to be building. Allister couldn't get the chairman's voice out of his head, and how his tone had been just the same between talking to Allister and talking about gathering wishing pieces...

Despite Allister knowing the place better, Piers led them back to the lobby then out the front doors again. He kept checking his phone while mumbling to himself, and seemed more like a worried adult than the punk appearance he wore. Piers stopped just left of the entranceway to Allister's gym, pecking away at his phone screen with narrowed eyes.

"Which way was it to Ballonlea again…? Augh, I truly should get out of Spikemuth more-"

"I agree! You're much too young to be getting lost and confused already!"

Allister didn't move, but Piers jumped to the sudden voice to his left; Opal had approached him from the right, flanked by the now well rested Bede dressed in his familiar pink coat. Piers scrambled not to drop his phone and squished it to his chest, gawking just a moment before his jaw snapped shut.

"Oi! I thought I was coming to meet  _ you! _ "

"And here I am! I thought I'd cut the time, since it's running low as we speak," Opal explained, chuckling as she crossed her hands over the handle of her umbrella. She was casual and relaxed, despite what she had just said, though Bede stood like a hawk over her shoulder. He was looking right at Piers, who glanced back awkwardly.

"Yeah…? Do you mind filling me in…?"

"Don't worry about it for now."

Allister saw that response coming.

"I have something to ask the three of you, something important," Opal began, drumming the fingers of her right hand over the back of her left. "And I hope you'll understand, as it's an important part of dear Bede's training and initiation into becoming my successor."

"Huh, so you finally found the one, eh…" Piers scratched his chin as he returned Bede's gaze, Bede swiped his hair back with his hand and smiled.

"Of course. It's only natural-"

"Hey- wait a minute!" Piers' jaw dropped open, Opal chuckled to his expression as Piers panicked. He lowered his voice, though his confusion was evident. "Gym leader!? Is a disqualified challenger even allowed to become a gym leader?!"

"I haven't seen a rule about it in my many days of living," Opal said with a carefree shrug, Bede crossed his arms behind her with his smug grin remaining. "Besides, it's my choice, not anyone else's. If the chairman has an issue with my decision, he's free to speak with me when he's finished all his silly running around and busy work."

"I don't know if that'll go over so well…" Piers commented in a sigh, shock changing to defeat as it became apparent that Opal had made up her mind. Bede remained confident behind the woman, unbothered by Piers' exasperation.

"The Chairman will agree to this, he's simply made a mistake in disqualifying someone as qualified as I am," Bede explained with his nose upturned. "I'll chat with him myself once I've been given the opportunity to show him that. So… You must agree to whatever Miss Opal is proposing! Both of you!"

Allister and Piers were both taken aback by the ferocity in Bede's demanding tone. Allister had almost forgotten what Bede was like at full energy after spending the morning with him asleep. Piers floundered for a few seconds and tried to get his footing back in the conversation.

"H-Hey, listen, she hasn't even explained what it is yet!"

"It doesn't matter what it is."

"You don't even know either, do you…?"

"It's quite simple, actually," Opal butted in once more, making the two fall quiet. Though her tone was cheerful and practically unchanged, Allister could feel the sudden weight in her words when she said them. 

"...I want you two to accompany Piers here back to Spikemuth," She began, slowly choosing her words. "...But by foot, not by taxi or flying by Pokémon."

This time, Bede was surprised as well.

"What…?"

"On foot? Back to Spikemuth?"

"Oh goodness, the lot of you act like you haven't walked a day in your life!" 

"I-It's not about that!" Piers waved his hands, brows furrowed in distress. "Besides getting a nasty sunburn just by walking two meters from shade out here, I've got other things to be doin’ with my time!"

"Oh, dear, it wouldn't take you much longer than two days," Opal sighed with a shake of her head. "And you'd have Hammerlocke in between, it's not as though I'm asking you to traverse the wild area!"

"It's still quite the hassle! I don't even have any gear!"

"What good would that bring, anyway?" Bede interrupted, confusion on his face and distaste in his tone. "I've traveled across Galar on my own, and I can continue practicing just fine on my own!"

Allister's head tilted down, uncertain. The idea itself made Allister want to decline immediately. He disliked even having to leave Stow-on-side, walking all the way to Spikemuth with two people he barely knew was as appealing as cuddling a Pincurchin. As he looked to Opal with unease, the woman sent him a glance and a soft smile.

"It would be a very good experience for these two, in fact."

Piers backed down from his rebuttal for a moment as Opal began in a softer, yet still authoritative tone. She was still rather patient, even as Piers and Bede were completely against her idea.

"Dear Allister simply loves to explore and see more of Galar, and Bede needs to go your way to attend one of your performances." Opal turned her body so she could take Bede by the shoulder and guide him closer, Bede's eyes widened and his brows furrowed in confusion as he now stood just a step from Allister. Allister shifted away slightly to try and maintain his personal space as Opal went on. "It's important for a future leader to experience as much of this region as he possibly can. I would go with them to help guide them, as they had quite the incident last night, but I'm no spring chicken anymore. I'm not sure if I could even manage a tent at this age."

Opal chuckled and patted Bede's shoulder. Piers watched the woman with exhaustion visible in his face. She had slowly chipped away at his outer shell, leaving the man sighing and scratching his neck.

"Opal… I can't believe you.."

"You'd be the best one for the job!" Opal encouraged him cheerfully. "You've done so well with Marnie, and I still remember the days when yourself, Raihan, and Leon used to run about Galar on your own gym challenge-"

"A-Alright, alright! I hear you!" Piers waved his hands and shook his head to stop her, Opal was giggling again. He rubbed his temples next and screwed his eyes shut, slowly exhaling through his nose. Before him, Opal waited patiently, and Bede seemed to falter.

"...Miss Opal, are you sure about this? What does my training have to do with the ghost gym leader?"

"Many things, dear Bede. I'm glad you're wondering, keep thinking about it."

Bede's eyes rolled, Opal didn't even look his way. 

"...Hammerlocke, we'll go to Hammerlocke."

"Thank you-"

"I'll think about Spikemuth when we get there."

"That's quite a good first step!" Opal laughed after Piers finally broke, the man grumbling and making a face as he wiped his forehead with his sleeve. "I'll definitely return the favor sometime..."

"I'm holding you to that," Piers agreed. "I need a better excuse next year not to show up at the gym league entrance ceremony if I can't get Marnie to take over. Rose is so pushy…"

"I'm sure I could pull some strings," Opal laughed, covering her mouth with a few fingers. Bede's expression grew sour, but he didn't interject. Piers chuckled half-heartedly, and Allister had trouble telling if they were being serious.

"Allister, sweetie."

Allister perked up when Opal addressed him once more.

"You should go get your camping gear. You do still have it, right?"

"Wait- we're leaving right now?" Bede asked, side stepping so he could face Opal better. 

"Why of course! Don't you want to get this done and over with as soon as possible?"

"I know I do," Piers mumbled from his side, catching Bede's attention for just a second before the boy straightened out.

"...Yes, actually, I do!" Bede agreed, then turned one eighty so he could face Allister again. Allister blinked to the determination that showed in his whole body. "Don't dally, then! We've only got so much sunlight left to this day! I'll be by the exit to route six, hurry!"

Before Allister could even think of what to say, Bede had paced past him, speed walking off towards the other end of Stow-on-side. Piers jerked into action a moment, unsure of whether to follow Bede or stay.

"Bugger! He's in quite the chuffed mood to get going all of a sudden, huh! This is going to be quite a trip..." Piers sighed, finally tuning to Opal and Allister one last time. "Alright, I'll go rent some gear from the center and rangle the kid so he doesn't run off without us."

"See you, Piers! Thank you so much again!"

"See you."

Piers turned and walked off in the direction Bede left. Allister was finally left alone with Opal, who didn't make a move to leave just yet.

"Thank you for being so patient, dear."

Allister faced Opal. The woman was smiling, and seemed content after the outcome of the conversation. She rested both hands on her umbrella handle and tipped her head. 

"I know this sort of thing really isn't up your alley," She began in a lowered tone. "But I do have an important task for you, that only you can really do."

"...What is it?"

"You'll figure it out in due time," She reassured him, but quickly went on before the exhaustion could set in to Allister's mood. "I know that may not be the most satisfying of answers, but I do promise to let you in much more once the waters have cleared. It may not feel like it, but… Galar is in a very fragile place as of now."

Allister watched as the older woman paused. She was looking down at the stone tiling under foot, cool from hiding in the shade from the gym's overhang. An unusual, far off look came to Opal's eyes. Yet when she finally looked to Allister again, she was still just as strong as she usually was.

"So I'd like to put a hint of trust with you. Don't take it as pressure, if it was incredibly dire I would have been much more upfront," Opal said lightly. "I just need you to do your best, and try to enjoy yourself. And if you happen to see Chairman Rose… Don't let him know anything that's going on. It might even be best that Bede does not see him as of now."

Uncertainty and wariness still kept Allister from responding right away, but he steeled his nerve, and nodded a few times.

"...I'll… Do my best."

"That's all I ask of you, dear." She was smiling again. "I'm sure you'll do wonderfully."

With that, Allister gave his last goodbye and fled back into the gym to get his things. In his own room, far in the depths of Stow-on-side's stadium, Allister found his old backpack. The fabric was dusty and stiff, but his pop up tent and cooking gear were still packed tightly inside. He changed clothes into a new jersey and a heavier hoodie, grabbed a few masks for his pack just in case, then hurried off to go meet up with Piers and Bede. He thought about it, for just a brief moment, but he didn't try to sneak away instead.

Just where he thought he would, he found Piers and Bede by the Diglett statues leading off onto route six. Piers had found another shady spot while Bede stood in the sun, turning abruptly when Allister came into view.

"Here we are, then! There's still plenty of daylight, I'd say we'd do well to get at least two-thirds there by nightfall!" Bede concluded, already turning and starting to walk away from Stow-on-side. Piers and Allister quickly started after him, Piers catching up to walk beside him while Allister lagged behind a step.

"I'd like us to be that fast, but we'd essentially be taking a nice jog in nature if that were the case," Piers butted in, glancing from Bede to ahead of them while Bede refused to return his gaze. "Wouldn't Opal want us to battle wild Pokémon or something? Jeez, I should have asked…"

"She probably wouldn't have told you anyway," Bede concluded, turning his loose gold wrist watch and keeping his focus on the rough terrain ahead. They were coming under the large rocky archways Allister was familiar with, which was both comforting and made him uneasy. He didn't know how his trip was going to turn out, especially with how Piers wasn't as easy going when it came to Bede's insistent rush into his own plan. "We should do what we assume is best. A few battles here and there couldn't hurt, I suppose…"

"...Whatever you want, then."

The dismissive response came off not as sharp but as bland. Piers hesitated under Bede's dominant personality; not as though he were giving up, but like he didn't want to get involved. Allister could only feel the odd tension grow. They had barely just started, and he already wanted to turn back and hide away in the ruins. It was a wonder how Bede even had the energy to be as commanding as he did after the previous night.

Their walking continued for a small while in silence; a lot of the climbing down ladders fixed oddly to cliff sides required them to go one at a time, so their group was somewhat split. Piers had given up and fallen into his role as to simply follow Bede, while Bede had no problem making his own way.

As it had already been leaning into the late afternoon when they left, not a lot of people were in the route, even though they mostly stayed on the path. The air was still warm from a day full of sunshine, but was just beginning to cool from the soft breeze sweeping through the dusty cliffs when they came across the first Pokémon that seemed to catch Bede's attention.

"Hm…"

Allister stopped just behind him, Piers a few feet to their right. A wild Yamask floated just over the tall grass. It seemed to have found some sort of stick and was holding it in its curled tail just over its rune. It had definitely noticed Bede staring at it, and simply stared back, not making a sound.

"...Yeah, that might be a good option, actually," Piers pointed out, though his tone seemed slightly unnerved. "That… Pokémon, it's got a type advantage over yours. You do mostly psychic, right…?"

"Fairy now," Bede corrected, "But still Psychic partly."

"I see…"

"It's scraps compared to what's in the Glimwood tangle, but it's in our way, anyway."

With that, Bede picked a ball from his coat pocket and tossed it out into the grass. Hattrem landed just feet from the wild Yamask who jumped slightly in response, crying out in warning to Bede's Pokémon. Hattrem answered its cry with a sound of its own, both the Pokémon and Bede remaining casual and calm.

"Hattrem, Psybeam!"

Hattrem managed to move first and fire off an attack at Yamask, who couldn't dodge in time. It cried out when struck before zipping around frantically to dodge any other attacks, mostly unharmed after the first hit. It soon retaliated by swinging its body, hitting Hattrem square in the head with its rune. Hattrem jumped back just after to shake off the blow.

"Hm…"

Allister glanced up from the battle to look at Piers. The older gym leader seemed to be thinking as he watched the Pokémon fight, having become slightly less slumped over. He and Allister met eyes when Piers glanced sideways at him and caught Allister staring. Piers hesitated, then cleared his throat.

"You've fought him already, right?"

Allister nodded. Piers was keeping his voice low enough for Bede not to hear over the sound of the battling. 

"Did he win?"

Allister shook his head. Piers looked back into the field and pondered this, while Hattrem scored another Psybeam hit on the Yamask. Seeing the wild Pokémon struggle to fight without the coordination of a trainer made Allister feel pity, and the urge to let his Yamask out so he could be with a friend was strong…

After just moments more, Bede came out on top. Despite the type advantage Hattrem was much more trained and at a higher level than the clumsy ghost that fled just as soon as it had shown up. Bede didn't return his Hattrem after the battle was won, but allowed the Pokémon to come back to him to stand at his side, out of breath but not close to fainting.

"Easy work for Hattrem, she's fought a million Yamask by now," Bede concluded, hand on his hip and Hattrem cheering softly at his side. "I've needed to move on from these parts for a while now, but that old woman's had me tied up with quizzes and all sorts of tomfoolery for much too long."

"Opal's just like that," Piers dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Perhaps you've gotten it worse because she's looking for you to replace herself. Don't take it to heart."

"Of course I don't," Bede snapped back. "She's nothing compared to most who would eat you alive for a misstep. Not that I've had many, of course."

With that, Bede's hand shoved back into his coat pocket. His bored expression lingered. "Lets not doddle then, I'm not out here to stand around and have a chin wag."

Bede started off again through the grass. Piers didn't move to follow him at first, his brows knit together above his grimace.

"Bloody hell, next year's championship is shaping up to be quite the ride if he'll be a leader… What does Opal see in this kid?"

Allister didn't respond. He didn't know what to say. Bede was still just as Allister expected. Rude, self centred, and snippy for no good reason. Allister was busy still trying to figure out why Opal had sent him on this trip. Piers sighed and motioned for Allister to follow.

"Come along then, I suppose we should get as far as possible tonight so we can get to Hammerlocke sooner."

Obediently, Allister followed. He walked a step behind Piers as they caught up to Bede again and continued their travel. They didn't stop much more to battle wild Pokémon, as it became obvious that they were much weaker than the Hattrem that Bede had walking at his side. Allister fought the urge to wander off from the group, while also getting lost in his own thoughts.

By the time the sun was just below the horizon, they were about fifteen minutes from Hammerlocke.

"Alright, let's call it quits."

Piers stopped walking just a few steps in front of Allister. Bede turned around about a yard further, slight annoyance showed in his tone.

"What for?"

"Because I'm not dropping however much money on a hotel room in Hammerlocke." Piers said plainly as he let his bag slide off his shoulders. Sand and dry grass had faded to green foliage and rolling hills. The path was more akin to the greener parts of the wild area, and were much cooler as the sun disappeared from the sky. "I already rented the camping gear just in case, so we might as well "enjoy nature" like Opal probably wants us to."

"Hmf…" Bede turned up his nose, but didn't go back on the attack. "Very well. I still don't see any point in it, but if you're set on her rules…"

"I don't, either. But we just walked five hours and got sunburnt for it, so we might as well do it right."

Piers knelt down by his backpack and pulled at the zipper. Bede began to do the same from his spot across the clearing, while Allister turned away to look into the woods. He was only a bit tired after all their walking, and was more interested in looking around their new surroundings. He set his bag down on the ground, then wandered off towards the clearing's edge, peering into the tall grass.

_ "Skee skee skee!" _

The soft Pokémon cries accompanied the grass rustling. Two zigzagoon chased each other through the undergrowth a few feet away. Moonlight made the whites of their fur glow and stick out in the dark. In the tree branches overhead, the delicate sloping petals of some Gossifleur and the soft round bodies of Cherubi resting could be just made out among the leaves. 

Allister wasn't a stranger to the world outside of Stow-on-side, of course. He had seen these Pokémon many times before just growing up in Galar. Yet it still was somehow foreign, since it had been a while since he had been away from the Glimwood tangle or Stow-on-side ruins. The thought of finding a tree to climb and sit in to watch the moon was appealing…

"O-Oi, hey, uh…"

A finger tapped his shoulder. Allister turned, not startled by Piers suddenly approaching him, but surprised that he was. Piers took his hand back as soon as Allister had turned to look at him. 

"Did you need help with setting up…? I'm all finished, not sure if you're…"

Allister shook his head. 

"Oh, alright, sure. Just wanted to make sure there wasn't a problem. There's still lots of room, so, uh, pick wherever you want."

Allister, confused, gave a few more nods. He should have been used to others assuming he didn't know how to fend for himself by now. He wasn't offended, but found it strange that someone dressed intimidatingly like Piers was acting like this towards him. It almost made him… Paranoid. He really hoped this wouldn't be like yesterday night, where another Pokémon like Hatterene would show up soon and Piers didn't want to frighten him by letting him know…

Trying to push the thought aside, Allister went to setting up his tent in his corner of the clearing. Bede had already set up his own and had a fire started, Ponyta and Hattrem were helping him assemble his cooking pot. Piers had his own tent set up under the base of a tree, and was just fishing for a Pokéball from his belt. Pressing the trigger, he released one of his Pokémon in a flash of light; a Scrafty, who was soon followed by a much bigger Obstagoon, standing tall and proud in front of their master and greeting him with it's strange cry.

"Things are a bit weird tonight," Piers told the two Pokémon patiently. "Feel free to wander some, but not all night, got it?"

Obstagoon gave another excited cry while Scrafty nodded it's head decisively. The larger Pokémon ran off just beside the tent into the undergrowth, big head bobbing and tongue lolling. Scrafty didn't follow it, but instead began to slowly walk about the clearing, lazily checking its surroundings. 

Allister had his tent set up by the time Piers was done letting his Pokémon loose. Of course, this made Allister giddy to let out his own friends as well, especially when he had the supplies to sit and have a nice camp with them. He kept his back to the others to help absorb himself into his own little world, first releasing Cursola and Mimikyu with a ball in each hand. The two greeted him cheerily, Mimikyu hopping about while Cursola waved its arms and smiled. Allister turned to the side to let loose Gengar and Yamask as to not crowd the other two, though Mimikyu was already running off to explore. 

_ "This is new! This is new!" _

_ "We're not in the ruins…?" _

"Not today," Allister mumbled to his Gengar who looked at him questioningly. Worry showed in a dip of the large Pokémon's grin.

_ "Lost again…?" _

"No, just… camping, for fun. Like old times."

Gengar brightened up once reassured, giggling while Yamask floated by and over Allister's tent. Cursola was slowly making its way inside the tent, while Mimikyu appeared from the bushes with a hop.

_ "Camping with a tent this time!" _

"Yeah…" Allister was grateful for that part. He kept his voice low, trying not to let the two others listen to him speak with his Pokémon. It felt odd to do around others, and he didn't want to make either of his traveling partners uncomfortable. However, when he turned back into the clearing, he could tell he had caught Piers attention once again, who diverted his eyes as soon as Allister turned. Anxiety flickered in his chest. He tried to look away as nonchalantly as possible.

"L-Let's… Have curry."

Mimikyu and Gengar cheered for his proposition. Allister was hungry from a long day of running around, and was admittedly excited to be camping with all his Pokémon together like this. He shuffled inside his tent where Cursola had just sat down on his sleeping bag, and fetched his cooking kit. Across the clearing, Bede already had a fire started.

"H… Have you done this before…?"

Allister looked up, and once again, Piers had approached him. The other stood awkwardly on the other side of Allister's fire pit, Allister armed with some wood chips for tinder that he had bunched up in one palm. Allister let his head droop to one side as he peeked up at Piers' face. He wore a crease in his brow, like Allister had a second head. Allister nodded his only one.

"You can start a fire? Your parents let you do that…?"

When Allister didn't respond, Piers crumpled slightly under the pressure.

"N-Not that I'm tryin' to boss you around or nothin'. I'm just surprised! Most young kids I've seen usually don't…"

Piers grabbed for words. Allister sat by like stone, and felt more and more awkward by the minute. Was he doing something wrong…? He wasn't used to someone trying to imply he was too young to be doing what he always did. 

"...Sorry, I'm just… surprised, is all. Most kids your age don't know how to set one of these things up."

Allister put down his handful of tinder, wielding his lighter in his other hand. He just wanted to get this lit as soon as possible so Piers would leave him be. He had no idea someone like him would be so… hovery.

He felt the other watching him closely as he put the end of the lighter into his tinder and clicked the trigger a few times. He pulled it back when smoke began to rise, and watched the small bits of light start to grow and eat up the wood chips.

"...He's a gym leader, you know."

Both Allister and Piers perked and looked up when Bede spoke from across the clearing. He was sat by his own fire on the ground, elbow resting on one bent up knee. His eyes narrowed almost in spite.

"Of course he knows how to start a fire."

"Hey, bein' a gym leader and knowin' how to camp are two different things," Piers said with a hand on his hip. "Didn't your folks tell you not to try n' start fires on your own when you were young?"

"Assuming something about someone else will be your greatest mistake."

The sudden sting to Bede's tone made Allister and Piers stiffen, Piers couldn't retort as Bede took the casual conversation to the max without warning. Beside Bede, Hattrem had shifted to look up at him, though Bede kept bitter eye contact with the dark leader across the clearing. He plucked a ball from his belt, tapping Hattrem on the head and returning it smoothly. Piers seemed to have his footing again.

"...Jeez."

"Take it as free advice. I don't care much for people who think they know how everything works." 

It really shouldn't have shocked or surprised Allister that Bede was willing to talk down on someone who not only was years older than himself, but also a gym leader taking time to help him out. But it sure did sting like getting hit with a Copperajah trunk. Allister couldn't see his face, but he could see Piers' shoulders tense slightly as he prickled. Allister's heart sank in a flash of fear as he braced himself for the fight that would ensue.

"Listen, kid."

...Yet Piers' tone came out even, like Bede's bite had barely left a mark. Bede, luckily, did stop to listen to what Piers had to say.

"I know I shouldn't assume stuff about you guys. That's my bad. But we shouldn't get all wound up so quickly. I don't want to be here as much as you do, so if we can get along for now, things should go smoothly… save your energy for when you're stuck in my stadium going against me for real."

"Then save your assumptions for then, too. Make all the mistakes you'd like." Bede retorted, luckily with a lot less hostility to his tone. Allister released tension from his shoulders with a soundless breath. Crisis averted, he didn't know what he would have done if Piers and Bede got into a full blown argument. 

His attention was stolen briefly as he noticed Mimikyu had come up to his side, and was staring up at him with Cursola. 

_ "What's wrong…?" _

"Yeah, sure. But for now, let's try to keep the chin wags friendly."

Piers grunted and stretched his back as he spoke. Allister gave Mimikyu's false head a few pats. "It's okay," he whispered with his other hand cupping Cursola's cold, smooth carapace. The ghostly ectoplasm on the inside made the retracted Pokémon dense and cool to the touch. "The fire's almost ready. Let's make something good."

Luckily, Bede didn't argue any more with Piers, instead attending to his cooking with his Ponyta coming to peek in curiously at his side. Across Allister's pot, Piers turned back to him, and fell down on one knee.

"D'you mind if we share a pot? I mean, you don't have to," Piers scratched at the back of his head under a ponytail, and wouldn't look Allister in the mask. "But… I don't see the point in having three fires in one clearing."

"I...Don't mind," Allister muttered, admittedly still shy in front of the much older gym leader. Allister hoped his Pokémon wouldn't mind the intrusion on their together time, and subconsciously kept one hand on Cursola's shell to try and convey his feelings. 

"Thanks. I'll grab some stuff."

Piers went back towards his tent and gear, while Allister started shuffling through his own supplies. He glanced over his shoulder as he felt a familiar tug on his shirt. Mimikyu easily crawled up his back and sat on his shoulder, giving a soft cry as it playfully bumped its false head against Allister's mask. Allister rubbed his knuckle over its lower body a few times as Gengar came back and sat down next to him.

_ "We get to cook together?" _

"Mister Piers is gonna help this time," Allister said softly to his Gengar. The ghost didn't falter with its smile as it laughed.

_ "That's okay! That just means more food!" _

"Yeah, we can make lots."

_ "Yay!" _

Gengar and Mimikyu celebrated with cheerful cries. Allister already started adding ingredients to his pot, but couldn't help but look around as he did. Where was Yamask…? He couldn't have gone far, and he doubted Yamask would get lost, but…

Piers came shuffling back over, snapping Allister out of his thoughts. He had a lunch box sized cooler that he brought with him as he sat back down across the fire once again. He peered across the pot at Allister curiously as he started unpacking his cooler.

"Got your whole crew with you, huh? I wonder where my rascals ran off to," He muttered while glancing over his shoulder. Allister peeked up as well as if he would see Piers Pokémon, though all his attention was grabbed by Bede, still sitting alone at his campsite. He was blankly drinking from a thermos and had his Ponyta sat at his side with its head on his thigh.

Allister looked away before Bede could notice him staring.

"Hope they didn't get into trouble. I'm not usually out of Spikemuth, so I guess it's exciting for them to run wild somewhere that doesn't usually encouraged it."

A half grin spread on Piers' face. Allister nodded understandingly. His own friends liked running off safely when the opportunity arose, though it had been a while since it had been somewhere other than the ruins. However, he was also familiar with his Pokémon getting into trouble when he let them loose like that, though luckily he had yet to have been caught as the trainer responsible for them when they did get in trouble. 

Piers started cutting up his berries while Allister handed his long plastic spoon to Gengar. The Pokémon cheered as it happily started to stir the warming curry. Allister was cutting his own berries to add to the mix, using an empty plate as a hard surface and the dull edge of a plastic spreading knife. He was thankful when Piers had let the conversation lull into quiet. He didn't dislike speaking to Piers, but an unexpectant silence was a lot more comfortable for him than trying to hold up a conversation.

The two of them added their berries without speaking, as though it was a routine. Gengar gave it a few more good stirs before stepping back, Mimikyu leaning while on Allister's shoulder to peer into the bubbling pot. The savoury smells had already begun to waft from the hot steam, brushing through Allister's mask. He was definitely hungry. He wasn't the best cook, but food made with friends always tasted the best.

Then, Obstasgoon and Scrafty came crashing through the bushes again.

Allister and Piers jumped in surprise as the two Pokémon had come through just a few feet away, the large Obstagoon breathing heavily after what was presumably a long run. 

"O-Oi! Hey! No need to be horsin' around like that! You scared the lights out of me!" Piers cursed and scrambled to get up just as Allister's Yamask came floating over the Obstsgoon's shoulder, cheering.

_ "The teapot! The teapot!" _

"Wait- what's that?"

Obstagoon snarled giddily as it held up its find in both clawed hands, Scrafty wobbling around the larger Pokémon so he could also take a look. It held a teapot, just as Yamask had proclaimed, the white and blue porcelain cracked and dirty. Allister blinked in surprise and stood up as well, Piers wandering closer in confusion.

"Where the heck did you find that thing…? Hey- don't drop it! It's a wonder it hasn't broken yet!"

_ "Scraft! Scraft scarft!" _ The Pokémon spoke in a panic as Obstagoon readily handed over the pot. Piers took it with little hesitation, however, though his eyes widened and his arms dipped as he felt the pots weight.

"What the…?"

"M-Mister Piers-"

Just as Allister expected, the lid popped up from the teapot first, making Piers flinch and reflexively drop the pot. Luckily, before it could even touch the ground, the pot pulled itself into the air and sprouted legs.

_ "Ooo!" _

"Ah!"

A sound similar to water being stirred meshed with the ghostly voice; Polteageist gave itself a few good shakes while holding onto its hat, its legs dangling out the bottom of the pot like two big drips.

"Wait- you again!?"

Allister took his turn to flinch; Bede had raced over in just a second, stood right at Piers side with a Pokémon ball at ready and making the other Gym leader tense up. Obstagoon laughed while Scrafty hid behind the larger Pokémon. Yamask joined Allister at his side, who's own ghosts were quickly becoming excited with the new arrival.

_ "It's the teapot again!" _

_ "What's he doing here?" _

_ "Hey! Hey! Did you follow us?" _

"It's a Pokémon… I should've guessed," Piers mumbled, still stiff from fear but visibly trying to shake it off. Polteageist looked at Bede and Piers in confusion, adjusting its lid, before looking to Allister. A grin grew on its small face and it quickly drew closer, prompting Piers to flinch and Bede to jolt at ready for a second time.

"Hey! Watch out!"

_ "I found you! Mister mask!" _

Allister leaned back when Polteageist came right up to his face. The smiling ghost held onto the edges of its pot, Mimikyu chirping to it just as giddily while Allister floundered in confusion.

"H...Hello…?"

"H-Hey, what's going on? Do you guys know this… Thing?"

"I found it in the Glimwood Tangle, just yesterday night."

_ "You can hear me!" _

The teapot swayed happily, ignoring Bede and Piers as it spoke to Allister. Allister was admittedly a bit nervous, but also amazed that this Pokémon had followed them all the way here. He knew ghosts were especially prone to getting attached, but usually a Polteageist wasn't as inclined to follow strangers around as they were to simply take a pot and run. This Polteageist seemed happy that Allister was listening to him, and luckily wasn't intimidated by all the other ghosts surrounding them.

_ "I missed you, Mimikyu!" _

"It helped us get back after we got lost. I guess it got attached…"

"Wait, you two were lost in the Glimwood tangle?"

Mimikyu climbed up Allister's shoulder further so it could be on Polteageist's level, excited still to see the other Pokémon.

_ "It's good to see you! You must have come so far!" _

_ "I still want to be your friend! So I followed you!" _

"It's a long, dumb story," Bede sighed, catching Allister's attention briefly but he was too focused on the two Pokémon at hand talking to one another. Mimikyu had made friends with this Polteageist while he was lost… Allister was grateful for that. It was relieving to hear that it hadn't been a totally horrible, scarring experience for Mimikyu to be so lost for so long. He reached up and touched the bottom of Mimikyu's costume, smiling behind his mask.

"T...Thank you for helping Mimikyu. I really… Am thankful."

Allister bowed his head a little, shy but happy. Polteageist was surprised for a second, before it cheered once more. Piers and Bede had fallen silent.

_ "Mimikyu is my friend! It was no problem!" _

"Do you wanna stay around for now…?" Allister offered. "It's a long way back to the Glimwood Tangle."

_ "Stay and have curry with us!" _ Gengar piped in from beside him. Yamask swung around cheerfully.

_ "So many people tonight!" _

_ "Yes! I'll stay!" _

"A-Ace! There's room for everyone."

Mimikyu hopped off Allister's shoulder, and Polteageist quickly followed it down to the ground. His other Pokémon went to greet the newcomer as well, and Allister watched them gather with a hint of happiness. Another friendly Pokémon… It had been Mimikyu who had done the leg work in making a new friend, but Allister couldn't help but feel happy by proxy. His friends were always so happy to meet a new, kind ghost.

Allister was so distracted, he nearly didn't realize Piers and Bede were staring at him.

"...I dunno what happened, but it looks like the thing fits right in already."

Allister's head turned when Piers spoke, Bede crossed his arms and seemed bored, or maybe tired.

"Whatever. I guess we owe it a favor still after it got us out of trouble." 

"It's been a long while since I've seen a wild Pokémon take a liking to a trainer without even being caught…" Piers commented, resting his elbow in his hand and his hand on his chin. Bede had already wound down again, though he hadn't gone back to his tent, instead watching Allister and Polteageist. Polteageist floated around him in a circle, coming to Allister's front and cheering with Mimikyu. Allister's cheeks heated up in embarrassment from being in the center of all the action, but he was still smiling along with Polteageist.

"H-He made friends with Mimikyu," Allister explained softly. He reached out a hesitant hand, and Polteageist seemed to have no problem with Allister touching the worn handle of its pot. "They… Wanted to see each other again."

"How long were the two of you lost…?" Piers questioned incredulously. Bede didn't move an inch as he stared dully at Polteageist.

"A night. An awful night. Opal truly is wretched for making us go out camping again after that huge mishap," Bede growled bitterly, but the kick behind his frustration had been burnt out. Allister tilted his head to peer around Polteageist at him as he used his sleeve to rub some dirt off the pot. Bede caught his eyes for just a moment. "...It doesn't bother me, I'm still fully capable. It's simply annoying to be herded like Wooloo around Galar."

"Can't imagine you slept well, either," Piers remarked, though if it was a slight as a testimate to Bede's mood, Bede didn't react with anything more than a grunt. Piers had a hand on the nape of his neck as he looked between the two of them, the corner of his mouth pulled outwards in an odd sort of half hearted grimace. "Yeah, yeah, I see…"

"So we best be up bright and early tomorrow morning," Bede butted in, holding his head up high once again. "I think we would all rather get this over with as soon as possible."

"Yeah, don't worry about that, I won't be dragging my heels," Piers reassured him in more of a mumble. Bede had already turned and went back towards his own camp fire, his Ponyta resting on the ground perked up to watch him come over. Allister watched him as well, curious, with the stranger Polteageist held gently in both hands. He had trouble recognizing what Bede really meant, still. Of course he really did want to get to Spikemuth quickly, but…

_ "It's done! It's done!" _

Allister stepped back once Gengar spoke up, the ghost leaning over the bubbling pot once more with the long spoon. Piers looked to the Gengar as well, and even without understanding him, he got the message.

"Looks like dinner's done. That was pretty quick…"

It always went much quicker when he had friends helping. Together with Piers and the new friend Polteageist, they split up the big pot of curry and ate together in their group. Mimikyu and Polteageist chatted happily with one another over their food, about where they were going now, who was with them. Polteageist seemed curious as to who Allister was, but Allister let Mimikyu explain it, since Allister wasn't the most comfortable going in-depth conversation wise with Pokémon while someone else was watching. Piers was a quiet eater, scrolling on his phone with his free hand as he sat across the fire. Obstagoon and Scrafty mingled with Gengar and Yamask, Cursola stayed at Allisters hip so he could help it eat, and Bede retired to his tent with Ponyta. 

It thankfully didn't take long for the energy to die down once everyone was full and comfortable. Chatter waded into silence that was filled with the distant sounds of wild Pokémon and soft wind. Allister watched Polteageist and Mimikyu, who had laid down together just against Allister's thigh. 

"...Are you really having fun out here?"

Allister looked up when Piers spoke. Piers was taken aback for a second, and quickly went to rephrase his question.

"Sorry, sorry, that sounded a bit weird. I just… I dunno. I don't usually trust Opal wholly when she speaks on the behalf of someone else. She usually lies, just a little, to sort of get what she wants."

Allister understood that well. It wasn't a bad lie, since Allister had just been grateful that she had allowed him not to have to defend her request for them all to go out while he himself still didn't understand why he had to be here. However, it was still awkward now, when Piers was wondering why someone who apparently "love to explore Galar" had barely spoken or explored since they had left Stow-on-side. Truly, Allister wasn't sure if he was having a whole lot of fun. So much had happened, he barely had processed so much of it so far.

Hesitant, he shrugged, instinctively pulling Cursola closer. "...It's good to get out of Stow-on-side a little..."

"Yeah… Guess it is. I know I get a bit bored of Spikemuth sometimes."

Piers had looked off into the forest as he spoke. It made Allister feel relieved; eye contact was too much pressure, even through the holes of his mask. Piers, still, despite his appearance, was admittedly a bit awkward. Allister hoped that Piers hadn't figured out that he thought that, but was glad that he seemed to be acting a bit lighter while trying to initiate conversation.

"I dunno, usually I spend all my energy worryin' about my little sister, Marnie, but now that she's been showing' how capable she is, I've got all the time and energy to worry about other dumb stuff. Haha."

Beside him, Cursola made a small sound. Not a word, just noise, as it twitched and shuffled to burrow into his hip. Allister let Cursola come as close as it wanted, his head tilted down like he was looking at Cursola, but truly he was watching Piers. Piers had his arms resting on his folded up knees.

Piers had a sister… Allister felt like he should have known this already, but he knew himself that he was guilty of not paying attention to details like that. The name Marnie sparked a few memories, but he wasn't sure enough on any of them to speak up. Piers looked back at him again boredly, anyway.

"Do you have any siblings?"

Allister shook his head. Piers grunted.

"Sorry, I'm bein' mighty nosy. I'm just… I dunno…"

He threaded his fingers into his hair. Allister adjusted his mask with a few knuckles to the bottom. He didn't care too much. If Piers asked a question he didn't like, he just… wouldn't respond. He doubted Piers would be intentionally rude, however. He was pretty level headed and polite, from what Allister had seen. Or maybe Bede had lowered the bar slightly...

A hint of frustration showed when Piers hissed a sigh and scratched his own neck, like he was trying to get something off himself. He looked into his lap and mumbled something Allister could just make out.

"I hate this region so much…"

He cleared his throat and looked back up, continuing to speak softly.

"Well, if there's anythin' you do wanna do before we haul off tomorrow morning, don't be afraid to let me know. I know Bede's got us by a chain, but I'm sure if you wanted to explore a little we could take a minute tomorrow. Some fresh air and sunlight really does do a lot of good for us."

Allister stared back, slightly confused, but he soon gave in with a small dip of his head. "...Thanks."

He wasn't truly interested in exploring, but he could appreciate that Piers thought he might, and was giving him the option. He didn't know why he was, but it would probably be too much of a bother to ask. 

"Don't worry about it." Piers muttered back. He stretched both arms above his head before yawning into his palm. His elbows fell back to his sides. "I'm gonna hit the hay if you're ready. Been a long day."

"Mm…" Allister nodded a few times and looked back at Mimikyu and Polteageist at his side. He could admittedly have stayed up more, but if they were to be getting up early like Piers predicted, it would probably be best for him to at least try to sleep before midnight. He turned first to Gengar behind him, and gave the large Pokémon a few gentle shoves. Gengar woke with a grunt.

"You can go in the tent now, it's time for bed."

Gengar groggily agreed with an unintelligible sound, phasing right through the wall of Allister's tent to get inside. Allister gathered Mimikyu and Yamask in his arms first to bring them inside, just as he saw Piers pause across the campfire after returning the sleeping Obstagoon and Scrafty.

"...G'night, kid."

"G...Goodnight, mister Piers."

Piers gave him a nod, then went across the clearing to his own tent. Allister stopped outside his own tent door so he could look up at the stars through the tree leaves overhead. The stars didn't look any different outside of Stow-on-side, but somehow they felt different, once he was no longer alone under them.

\---------

"...He did this last time, too, it's because he's a kid."

"You're not even that much older, you know."

"I'm awake right now, aren't I?"

"Jeez- Listen… it doesn't even matter."

Allister blinked behind his mask a few times. Daylight came through the eye holes.

The voices just outside his tent bickered in a hushed tone, but hadn't been quiet enough to keep Allister from waking. His whole body was still heavy, though. He could go right back to sleep. And that's what he would have usually done, if he didn't remember where he was.

"There's not that huge of a rush, anyway-"

"You say that, but we've still got Hammerlocke and route seven!"

"Us runnin' off straight away isn't going to make either of those shorter! Just hold on."

Alister crawled out from between Gengar and the small pile that was Yamask, Cursola, Polteageist and Mimikyu, all still fast asleep as they were used to. As his blind shuffling around the tent began, the voices quieted down.

"...Allister?"

He fumbled for the zipper, before carefully pulling it down the side. He winced from the harsh sunlight that greeted him, disturbed only by Piers and Bede standing about five feet from his tent entrance. He shivered to the cool morning breeze.

"Finally. You sleep like a Slaking."

"'Morning, kid."

"M-Morning…sorry."

Allister carefully crawled out and hauled himself to his feet, wobbling for just a second before he grabbed his shoes from just inside the tent. Piers and Bede were already dressed and packed up.

"Don't worry about it. I didn't like gettin' up early at your age, either."

"It's ten AM already, is that early to you?" Bede said mutinously, but didn't push further as Allister tried to pull himself together. He started returning Pokémon from his tent once he had a hand on his ball holster, wanting to let them sleep further as he took down his tent. He scratched the back of his head as he did so, his face feeling odd after he hadn't chanced it and slept with his mask on for the whole night. He could definitely feel the bed head he had going on, but could barely do much to curb his embarrassment.

"It used to take a Bewear just to get Marnie out of bed on Saturday mornings," Piers spoke casually behind him. "That or she'd throw stuff in retaliation… Hehe."

"Lovely." Bede responded stiffly. "I've known a few lads like that."

"I guess the Pokéball throwing instinct just sorta takes over…"

Allister bent down after hauling his bag out of the tent; Polteageist was still inside, sitting like a regular tea pot would. The porcelain lid twitched and lifted, however, and Polteageist poked its head out. It had woken from the commotion, though Allister wasn't sure what it's sleep schedule was like on its own. 

"H-Hello… 'm sorry for waking you up. We have to go now."

Polteageist blinked up at him sleepily, before it heavily picked itself up off the tent floor. It floated over to Allister who reached out, then dropped itself into his hands. 

_ "Ooo…" _

"Still tired…?"

The soft  _ tink _ of its lid closing answered Allister's question. He backed out of the tent while still holding the pot, and earned the two others attention once more.

"Oh...It actually stayed the night?" Bede questioned, "I thought the thing would move on as soon as it got bored."

"Guess it took a real liking to the kid and his Pokémon," Piers assumed and shrugged. "Are you gonna take it with you…?"

Allister nodded a few times, not hesitating. Polteageist would be a good friend. So long as the Pokémon wanted to stick around, he had no problem keeping him.

He pressed the teapot to his chest, and used his other hand to go into his bag. He pulled out a dusk ball from the back pouch, and expanded it with a click of its button. He stood back up straight, and gently tapped the ball to the side of the pot. It popped open, and the whole pot disappeared inside with a flash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at it again,, ty again if you've read this!! ; ; I've been reinvigorated knowing the DLC will be open in two days... so exciting oog


	3. Tea in Hammerlocke

"Ah, Hammerlocke… Always so busy."

Allister walked at Piers' side, close enough that he could hear his bothered mumble under his breath. They had crossed the stone bridge into the bustling city that was much more populated than Stow-on-side, even in the peaks of the tourism season. Allister walked with his head tilted back, too allured by the familiar yet daunting castle walls and spires that reached high into the sky to tear his eyes away. Bede stood at Piers' other side, and seemed uninterested with the astounding architecture that surrounded him. If it wasn't so guarded, Allister would love to have explored it...

"It's the middle of the gym challenge, of course it'll be most busy at this time."

"Feels like it must be the middle of the gym challenge every day of the year, then. Can't remember a day when you could actually get a seat in a good restaurant around here without waitin' half an hour..."

A hand suddenly reached out and stopped him, Allister flinched, surprised as he looked up to Piers. At his other side, Bede stopped as well.

"What?"

"Just a minute," Piers mumbled. Allister took the opportunity to look around as Piers did; they stood just before the draw bridge that led into Hammerlocke's stadium, and the stairs that lead out into the wild area. "He's supposed to be here already! Damn, probably off somewhere on his phone…"

Bede prickled, irritated. "Who are you talking about?"

"Hey!"

Allister stiffened from the voice alone, while Piers jumped from a hand that took his shoulder. The two of them spun around, and Allister was shocked for a second time.

"Sorry if I kept ya waiting, I had to do a bit of running' around first!"

Raihan, the dragon gym leader and Leon's rival, had been standing behind them. He was just as incredibly tall as Piers, but thankfully dressed miles more casually in comparison. 

"I figured you'd be late, anyway," Piers sighed, settling after the scare. Allister chanced a look at Bede, who was still lingering in shock to suddenly see another gym leader.

"R-Raihan…? What in the world is going on?"

"That's a funny way to say hello," Raihan chuckled, immediately making Bede even more visibly flustered and confused. Raihan extended a hand, anyway, smiling his big toothy grin as he usually did. "Piers let me know that someone was training to take over for Opal soon! Thought I'd come say hello to a new gym leader in the making."

Bede hesitated just a second, before confidently taking Raihan's hand. A smug smile found its way to his face.

"I'm Bede."

"Bede… Feels like I've heard that name before."

"Of course you have. I was endorsed by Chairman Rose himself."

"Huh! That's actually pretty interesting to hear…"

Raihan took his hand back, turning thoughtful as Bede remained with his new found pride and confidence. Allister stood by quietly, intrigued; Bede sure did seem to hang onto the Chairman, even though the Chairman was the one who banned him from the gym challenge. Allister would almost think they were still on good terms, if it wasn't for Bede's nature, and how it seemed the Chairman was now on a manhunt for Bede.

"Well! I'd say this kind of event deserves some celebration!" Raihan declared, snapping Bede out of his smug expression with surprise once more. Raihan's rotom phone flew around him from his back pocket and hovered at his shoulder, brought out by the rise in Raihan's volume. "It's been awhile since we got to celebrate somethin' fun like this!"

"Er...We can do that later, we're on a bit of an important-"

"The battle cafés just 'round the corner!"

Bede stiffened when Raihan grabbed his shoulder, shamelessly interrupting the other like he couldn't even hear him. He was looking at Piers now, however, with a big, goofy grin.

"Been a while since we hung out in one of them, huh?"

"Don't make this about us," Piers muttered in embarrassment. He looked away as he rubbed the nape of his neck. "It was Leon you went with most."

"Now I can barely get the guy for a minute outside of kickin' his butt!" Raihan sighed, but didn't lose any of his excitement. "I'd say we should go to Wyndon and drag him out, but the Chairman might have a butt-kicking to lay on  _ me _ if he saw the lot of us there!"

"W-We've got somewhere else to be already!"

"Right! Battle café!" Raihan agreed to Bede, though his frustrated expression clearly didn't agree with Raihan. Just like that, however, he had Bede walking with him, a firm hand on Bede's opposite shoulder as he motioned hurriedly to the other two.

"C'mon you two! Before the league staff notice I'm gone!"

Piers hurried after him, and so Allister followed, not wanting to be left behind. 

\---------------------------

"Get whatever you want, my treat!"

Raihan' s volume had barely gone down, even when they were seated in the café. Allister did his best not to look as nervous as he was. Their group had taken up a whole table in the middle of the café, Piers and Raihan sat on one side and Bede sat right next to Allister. A couple had left just before their group had crowded inside, the usually busy café was vacant, though Allister wasn't sure why. Without even looking while sitting at their table, though, he could tell that Bede was frustrated. Yet his silent resignation was all he expressed of it. At their table side, a Slurpuff slid a pile of four small menus onto the table with a joyful cheer as a greeting.

"Thanks!" Raihan nodded to the Pokémon as they all took a menu. Allister set it down in front of himself, using both hands to unfold it. It took a moment for him to recognize what all the different names meant; the options were predominantly just different kinds of coffee. 

"Isn't this place usually more packed?"

"An event's starting in the stadium now, some matches between lower tier leaders," Raihan explained and flopped his menu open. His finger poked at his chin, as his eyes went to the window instead of the page, "There was a bit of a commotion before I met up with you guys, too-"

"Raihan! It's good to see you!"

"Bernard! Old chap!"

They all looked up as the café master came to their table side; the cheerful bearded man had appeared from the back room. He took a firm handshake from Raihan over the table, making Piers lean to keep out of his way.

"Good to see you too!"

"What brings you lot here? Some sort of occasion? Can't say I've seen this many gym leaders in my café in quite some time!"

"Celebration! We've got an upcoming gym leader with us today, thought I'd give him the big Galar welcome to the club!"

Attention turned to Bede once Raihan motioned to him, and Bede was unsure of how to react, the same wide eyed shocked expression plastered on his face as when Opal caught him in a bad moment. Bernard didn't miss a beat as he laughed.

"Ohoho! That's quite the news!" Bernard whistled. "And a gym challenger endorsed by the Chairman, too! You're making a name for yourself, kid!"

The mention of the Chairman quickly brought a smile to Bede's face. "Of course!" He touched his chest with a few fingers. "The Chairman wouldn't have endorsed me if I didn't fit the part."

"I'd say next year's shaping up to be somethin' exciting!" Raihan said as he rested his elbows over his menu. "Gonna be even better when I take the spot as champion, of course!"

"Of course!" Bernard laughed. "Next year will surely be one for the ages with this line up!"

"You're not wrong there," Piers breathed with half a grin. Raihan's hand had somehow made it to the back of Piers' chair now, and Allister swore the gym leader would be all over the room if he hadn't sat down when they walked in.

"I'll make sure to swing by and endorse the café myself once I get there, mate."

"We'll be your number one supporter! We've been Raihan fans since day one!"

Slurpuff by Bernard's legs woofed and hopped, its tongue lolling and dripping pink. Allister had just noticed a soft pink Alcremie sitting across the room as well, on top of a counter with a bowl of strawberries. Different from Opal's Alcremie. It watched them with quiet curiosity. 

"You guys take your time ordering, then!"

Allister quickly looked back as Bernard spoke, the man still grinning after their friendly conversation.

"Thanks, mate! I'm gonna take a look, but I'll probably get the same as always," Raihan chuckled, flipping over the plastic covered menu again. Bede had already busied himself with looking through the options as Bernard went back towards his counter, so Allister looked back into the menu as well.

"You sure know how to talk up a storm, still. Where's all that energy comin' from?"

"You should hear when me and Leon get some alone time! He can go on for days just about his little brother alone!"

Piers and Raihan spoke quieter between one another. Luckily it seemed Piers' softer tone influenced Raihan's just a little. It made it easier to read the menu in front of him, but Allister still wasn't sure what to get. He could barely remember the last time he had eaten at a restaurant, and he had hardly even tasted coffee.

Instinctively, his hand went to the new dusk ball sitting on his belt. His other touched the mouth hole of his mask as he thought.

"Yep, it'll be the usual for me," Raihan decided, flipping shut the menu and pushing it to the center of the table. Piers was still picking over his own as Bede shut his as well.

"Eh… Guess I'll… Uh…"

"I don't know if I've seen you drink coffee before, Piers…"

"What? You have, I do drink it, sometimes," Piers mumbled back, waving his hand at Raihan to get him out of his personal space. "Usually just for the energy, though. I've never done it for the taste…"

"Try one of the flavored ones, then! Tastes better than just black."

Raihan was still poking at Piers' menu, while Piers sat by in mild confusion trying to follow along. Allister set his own menu aside, having to reach to set it in the center with the others.

"What are you getting?"

Allister perked up, surprised when Bede suddenly spoke to him. Bede had a straight back, but otherwise was relaxed and almost… Disinterested. Allister floundered for a moment from being caught off guard.

"There's ice cream if you want that, Allister," Piers pointed out from across the table. "You don't have to get coffee."

"They've got sweets, too!" Raihan added. "Even Malasada's like they do in Alola! It's like a donut, but… they can be spicy and stuff!"

"Great description." Piers chuckled, closing his menu. Raihan's smile turned guilty.

"It's been a while since I've had one!" 

"You can forget something like that…?"

"You forget stuff all the time, Piers!"

"What? No I don't!"

The two gym leaders bickered, Raihan laughing and grabbing the shoulder of the slightly annoyed Piers. Allister couldn't help but watch them in silence. They got along so well, it felt strange to see. 

Allister peered Bede's way again, who glanced towards him as well. Allister resisted looking away and folded his hands in his lap. 

"I… I'm gonna get...Tea. T-The chai tea."

"Chai tea?" Bede repeated. "...Doesn't sound too bad. Much less bitter than most coffee."

Allister hesitated, then nodded and looked back to the menu. Opal usually had green tea at her place, which Allister had tried a few times. He had never had chai before, but knew the smell from candles and spice racks...

_ "...A little bit of spice or aroma can make anything a bit more pleasant." _

...

Spread over Opal's table were bundles of fresh herbs she had tied together, ready to set out to dry. Her Alcremie was organizing them diligently, seated on the opposite edge of the table. Allister's fingers still smelled like the roots and stems he had snapped and pulled up to get these herbs, another request from Opal. The woman moved with quick precision as she rearranged bottles in a basket, searching for the right one. She soon pulled one with a jewel shaped topper, filled with light purple water. She read the tag, then popped the lid and smelled over the opening.

"...Or unpleasant, depending on what you're aiming for." She chuckled and capped the vial once more. "Everything has a use, even the most vile, nose-curling smells can make a nice perfume when treated right. I say we do the world a disservice by cutting out all of these so called "bad" smells, especially when a bad smell can just be a good smell in disguise."

Allister didn't quite get what she meant. After a few beats of quiet, Opal chuckled and pulled another bottle. 

"Don't worry, dear _. It'll make sense with time. _ "

Bernard came back to their table moments later when Raihan flagged him back over. They each ordered, and Bernard had their drinks ready in a blink.

"Man… I wish I could get out to just do stuff like this more," Raihan sighed over the tall, whipped cream topped drink sitting under his chin. Piers was busy stirring the caramel concoction Raihan had convinced him to order and didn't look up. Raihan chuckled all the same. "Not that I'd give up battling as a gym leader anytime soon. Just be ready for Chairman Rose to eat up a bunch of your time."

Raihan motioned at Bede as he spoke. Bede set aside the lid from his drink that he had popped off as he tried to cool it down; a sweet vanilla scent wafted Allister's way. Allister was warming his fingers on the outside of his cup of tea, and looking in at the soft brown drink. It smelled amazing, but was far too hot to try just yet.

"I've worked hard getting where I am now. I expect it to be no different while being a gym leader," Bede answered cooly. He gazed down into the rising steam of his drink. "It's a career."

"I'd call it a lifestyle. You don't really stop being a gym leader when you step outside your gym." Raihan ate a dollop of whipped cream off his finger. He waved the finger afterwards while thinking. "It can be quite serious. But Opal's probably told you all about that already."

"She's told me that and plenty more," Bede sighed, earning a chuckle from Raihan.

"She goes on forever, doesn't she!"

"She  _ does _ . I'd fall asleep in the middle of a battle just thinking about it!"

Raihan broke off giggling to himself while Bede melted in another drawn out, dramatic sigh. Allister sat by quietly, twisting the mug in his hands and listening in on the conversation. Admittedly, Opal didn't know when to stop talking. Though Allister was the type to appreciate that, since it meant most of the work of the conversation was taken off his shoulders. 

"She'll have you whipped into a fine gym leader, that's for sure! Just be thankful that you don't have Kabu on your case! He's just a second Opal, but less lenient," Raihan leaned on his elbows, lowering his voice with a coy grin. "Listen, he's a great guy, but he'll never get off my back for taking selfies during matches! The guy just doesn't understand…"

Something bumped Allister's knuckle, his eyes flicked up and he spotted the straw that had been slid his way.

"Here," Piers offered as Raihan went on complaining. "This might make it easier, yeah?"

"T...Thank you." Allister took the straw, and peeled off the protective paper. It did help, actually. He was planning on just trying to pour the drink into his mouth through the mask hole, but a straw would make things much easier on him. 

"No problem." Piers nodded understandingly and let his attention drift back to Raihan. Allister set the straw in his tea and took a few sips. It was… tasty. He wasn't sure how the Café owner made the flavor so strong. He was used to the lighter, watery teas back in Ballonlea…

"How have you been doing, Allister?"

He perked up almost in a flinch when Raihan suddenly said his name. The other was looking right at him and smiling, half of his drink already gone. Bede and Piers looked his way as well. 

"Anything fun happening lately? Opals mentioned a few things off hand, but we haven't really talked!"

Allister did his best to stay still, his fingers wrapped around his tea cup. It had hit him, or at least the sensation that had been creeping up on him had finally caught him from behind as soon as he was brought into the conversation; he didn't really want to be here. 

He instinctively fixed his mask with one hand, making sure it covered his face entirely.

"N-N...Nothin'… really."

"Yeah? Guess it gets a bit busy this time of year with the league challenge and all," Raihan said, still cheerful and his normal volume while Allister mumbled his reply. Raihan slid his drink closer to himself with one hand, resting his chin in the other. "Meet any cool challengers? There've been quite a few strong ones this year!"

Allister looked down at the table. He couldn't remember. The gym challengers had become a blur after the eventful last few days. He tried to search his mind, but all he could think about was how nervous he was speaking to someone like Raihan, and how it made him feel awful. 

"B...B-Bede."

The name slipped out, almost like it wasn't himself speaking. Raihan's face changed, and Bede shifted beside him.

"Heh! I guess he does count! A challenger turned gym leader is pretty interesting! Same way you got in!"

"Y...Yeah."

"Marnie's been workin' hard, too," Piers butted in, quickly relieving Allister from the pressure of talkin. He took the opportunity to sip his tea to seem busy. Bede hadn't said anything, but Allister could definitely feel him looking. "She's gonna take over for me once I shake the gym league loose. If she doesn't take over as champion, 'course."

"You're always promoting your little sis, you'd think she's Spikemuth's leader already!"

"I don't… do it that often," Piers retaliated guiltily, not making eye contact with Raihan who just chuckled more. Allister covertly started looking around the café; maybe he could go to the bathroom, and just… leave… for a little while. It wouldn't hurt, right? They wouldn't miss him, he wasn't good at talking, anyway.

"Guess I'll have to keep my eye out for her still while I'm-"

The sound of a Pokéball opening startled Allister, which made the rest of the table flinch in surprise.

_ "Ooo!" _

The familiar face appeared at Allister's side, his heart jumped to his throat.

"P-Polteageist!"

"Whoa!" Raihan exclaimed, trailing off into a laugh. "Guess someone was restless!"

"Of course it's you," Bede grumbled to the teapot that floated at their table side. Polteageist smiled brightly, turning in a circle and holding on to its lid. Allister quickly stood from his spot, fumbling to get Polteageist's ball from his holster.

_ "I'm awake! It smells good out here!" _

"I-I'm sorry-"

"Don't worry about it!"

Allister stiffened and looked to the laughter that sounded across the room. Bernard came around the counter, his Slurpuff following behind him. 

"You're allowed to have your Pokémon out in here!"

"It is the battle café after all," Raihan added, "Maybe Polteageist just wants to hang out, too!"

"You wouldn't believe how much it wants to, it followed us all the way from Stow-on-side," Piers explained. Allister left the Pokémon's ball on his belt, still fidgeting guilty as he forced himself to sit. Polteageist floated closer to him while Raihan whistled, impressed.

"Wow! Pokémon sure do put in the effort when they want somethin', huh… pretty inspiring!"

_ "What's this?" _

Polteageist was quickly drawn to Allister's drink. Allister tried to calm down and settle again, focusing now on the Pokémon instead of the people watching him. He picked up the cup and brought it closer to the Pokémon. He kept his voice even softer, trying not to let the others hear him too much.

"It...It's tea, chai tea."

_ "Tea!" _ Polteageist was quickly excited again. It suddenly retreated into its pot, only to reappear coming from the spout and make Piers jump.  _ "It smells good!" _

"O-Oh jeez, this thing's full of surprises…"

Raihan laughed, holding his chest. "Its little head! Oi, man, that's hilarious! I can't remember the last time I've seen one of these little blokes!"

"What's it want…?" Bede questioned, leaning to peer around Allister who shrunk in embarrassment. "It's got quite an abundance of energy for something that hunted us down for an entire day."

Allister took a moment to think, hesitant with a fluttering stomach from all the eyes that were suddenly on him. He steadied his nerve, before he slowly took the dish out from under his cup. He carefully poured just a small pool onto the plate, before sliding it closer to the edge for Polteageist. The Pokémon immediately retreated inside its pot to come out of the top again before it went to the dish.

"Y-You can try some," He offered softly. He felt bad for having tea in front of Polteageist without giving it some, though he wondered after putting it down if Polteageist even liked to drink tea, or drank at all. It had eaten curry the previous night, of course, but it wasn't made of curry…

Allister's questions were quickly answered. Polteageist came out the spout again, and pushed its ghostly purple body against the plate. When it lifted back up, the plate was dry.

Completely dry. As if tea had never been there.

"What the…"

_ "Thank you!" _ Polteageist chimed, seemingly satisfied to have… Amalgamated, the small amount of tea into its own body. The others were just as confused as Allister felt.

"I guess it makes sense...? It is tea in there or somethin', right?"

"I thought it was just a ghost in there…" Piers sent Raihan a confused glance, Raihan shrugged. 

"It absorbed the water!"

"It's not a paper towel ghost..."

Raihan snorted to Piers' response, Piers chuckled. Allister took another glance Bede's way, surprised to see that the other was on his cell phone. His brows were furrowed in concentration as his thumb tapped over the screen.

"I dunno, the world of Pokémon is still waaay too big for me to totally get what all of these little guys are up to without my dex- whoa whoa wait!"

Allister shuddered when Raihan suddenly panicked and reached over the table, his head snapping forward again. Polteageist moved from in front of Allister, as it had quickly gotten close. 

_ "Try some!" _

"What did it just do…?"

The first thing that he noticed, besides Piers and Raihan's shocked faces, was his tea cup, which was a lot more full than before. And a lot more purple. Allister blinked in shock before hurriedly looking back to Polteageist.

"W-What did you…?"

"That's Polteageist's tea!"

The other three looked up to the excited tone while Allister froze up again. He looked over his shoulder in a flurry to find Bernard, jolting and jerking away after the café master had rushed over and appeared next to him.

"It's said that only a trainer that Polteageist trusts is allowed to drink its tea! You're so lucky!"

"What- you can drink that?! It's a live Pokémon!"

"Actually… I think it's technically a dead one," Raihan pointed out, earning an eye roll from Piers. Polteageist was still beaming and excited, while Allister was busy being overwhelmed and confused. He had never heard of Polteageist doing something like this, and he was more embarrassed that Polteageist was making such a scene in the café. 

"That is quite strange…"

Allister was taken off guard once more when the cup in front of him was suddenly gone. Bede hadn't hesitated to pick it up and examine it himself, peering into the deep purple liquid with only mild interest while he tilted the cup to swish around the water. Raihan learned to try and get a better look himself.

"That's incredibly cool! It's purple!"

_ "Hey!" _

Bede barely even reacted when Polteageist floated over the table angrily, making Raihan sit back in his seat. The Pokémon had puffed cheeks as it held the edges of its pot.

_ "That's not for you!" _

"Relax, as if I'd have any interest in drinking whatever weird concoction this is," Bede snapped back at the Pokémon, as though he understood what it had said. Bernard came around from behind Allister to get a closer look as well, just as excited even as Polteageist huffed at them in frustration.

"It's actually supposed to be quite good! Tea enthusiasts in Galar have given it such high praise, I've wondered myself what it would taste like…"

"It's bright purple, and probably cursed," Bede rolled his eyes. "No one should be drinking it." He looked Allister's way, who tried not to shrink, eyes flicking between Bede and the still fuming Polteageist. "Really, you don't plan on drinking this crap, right?"

"U-Uh-"

In an instant, tea was all over the place. 

Everything disappeared behind the sharp blast of water. Allister jerked back on instinct, as did the rest of the table. Bede dropped the tea cup that thankfully didn't shatter, instead spilling on the floor as he jumped from his seat and shielded his face.

"Oh shit!"

"Bede!"

Allister struggled just a second to yank out Polteageist's ball; the Pokémon had sprayed tea from its spout, hard, right into Bede's face. Bede was left coughing and soaked as Allister returned the Pokémon in a flash. The ball shook defiantly in his hands that he clasped around it as Piers and Raihan rushed around the table to Bede's aid.

"Are you okay?!"

"It wasn't hot, was it?!"

" _ Bloody hell! _ "

Bede's voice rose once he spat out the words before falling into another coughing fit. Allister was quick to stand from his chair with him, heart pounding madly in fear. Bernard stood by Bede as well as the two other gym leaders, all of whom were shocked and frightened, within reason. Piers had a hand on Bede's shoulder and the other on his back after the other stumbled, but Bede was quick to shake him off as he brought his arms down.

"I-I'm  _ fine! _ "

Piers stepped back. Bede held out his arms as he took deep breaths, eyes screwed shut and teeth grit in anger. His shirt and pants were soaked through all down the front, hair plastered to his forehead as the semi purple liquid dripped off his chin. Allister was frozen in absolute shock. He quickly looked over the other; it didn't look like it had burned him. But he was soaked. Polteageist had attacked him…!

"It got you real good, huh… holy crap…" Raihan muttered in awe. Bernard had already backed off and went speed walking towards the back of the café.

"I've got some towels!"

"Oh- thanks Bernard! Real sorry about the mess!"

"Don't worry about it! I've had much worse from the battles that go on in here daily," Bernard chuckled as he came back with two light green towels. He handed one over to Bede who took it with a mumbled thanks. Allister swallowed shakily, his mind still racing.

Bede was mad. Bede was definitely mad. Allister shouldn't have let Polteageist stay out, Polteageist was still untrained and probably new to a lot of human interaction, it was no wonder he would lash out and attack someone like this after Bede offended him!

The urge to run off put a pit in his stomach. He didn't want to deal with this.

"I'm just thankful no one was seriously hurt-"

"I-I'm sorry...!"

Allister tried to be louder, but his nervousness kept his voice small and fearful. The group looked his way again after Allister spoke up, Allister struggled to find the right words, his face hot under his mask and his shoulders at his ears.

"I-I shouldn't… have…"

"Aw, Allister, it wasn't your fault," Raihan said with an awkward smile.

"It's a Pokémon, I've had Obstagoon break a good mic stand or two when he's miffed with me," Piers quickly added. Bede was drying his face and hair with quick movements while Slurpuff came up behind him worriedly. Bernard was still cheerful to boot, as if nothing bad had happened. 

"I've taken a Wooloo roll to the ankles while battling in here before! Good Pokémon misbehave a little all the time!"

"Man, have you ever gotten a Dreepy dart to the back of the head? Now  _ that's _ somethin' that'll put you out for a good few minutes!" 

"I think I remember that…" Piers mumbled, the slight horror dawning on his face. "That did look quite painful, I can't believe you even lived through that…"

"It'd take more than one Dreepy shot to take me out!" Raihan boasted and patted the back of his neck. 

Allister stayed put where he was, still nervously clutching Polteageist's ball in both shaking hands. Bede had gone quiet as he tried to dry off his front, brows still furrowed and the bridge of his nose wrinkled. He finally looked up to Piers.

"Can we just go now?"

"Yeah- uh- it would probably be best to go-"

"Let's swing by my gym just around the corner, you can use the changing rooms there," Raihan offered, and Bede just nodded along as he handed the towel back to Bernard.

"Please."

Raihan paid for their drinks, and their group set off again.

Hammerlocke was still busy outside the café, as was Raihan's stadium, but Allister was too absorbed in his own worrying to even try to give the fans that approached their group of gym leaders any energy. Bede had put on his bright pink coat to cover his wet clothes and managed to slip away to the changing rooms while Raihan and Piers entertained the small crowd. Allister went off to the washroom for his own privacy and tried to not get overwhelmed.

He hid in the largest stall of the silent bathroom, only the muffled echoes of the stadium's music creeping through the walls and the sound of his own shuffling about. He set his back pack against the divider, and stood facing the wall.

Maybe he could just go back to Stow-on-side. If he snuck out now while Raihan and Piers were distracted, he could just say he got lost and went home, right? The walk wasn't that far.

The thought of seeing Bede again was suffocating.

He was beyond embarrassed. Bede had every right to blow up on him again for Allister not controlling his own Pokémon. But he wasn't used to having to do that outside of battles. His Pokémon were his friends, he didn't have to worry about other trainers or people interacting personally with them before. Why would Opal send him off like this when something bad was bound to happen?

Blinking a few times, he realized what pit he was sinking into. With unsteady hands, Allister took his mask off. The cold air of the washroom hit his warm face, he took some slow breaths that came in more clearly. Holding his mask in one hand, he ran his fingers through his hair with the other and closed his eyes. He wasn't cut out for this. Making friends didn't work before, why would it work now?

A ball on his holster clicked. Allister quickly turned. He paused, then looking downward.

_ "Are you okay…?" _

Mimikyu had let itself out. It's false head tilted back to look up at Allister. Allister turned around fully to look down at it, his mask clutched to his chest.

"...I want to go home…"

Mimikyu's tail moved as it readjusted it's grip, it's false head tilted the other way. Mimikyu's dark form stuck out starkly from the light marble bathroom tiles.

_ "Why?" _

"I… I messed up… I'm not good at this…"

_ "Not good at what?" _

"M-Making friends."

Mimikyu only seemed to grow more confused. It's body rattled when it hopped in place.  _ "You have lots of friends!" _

"You… You guys are different," Allister muttered. "You're... Pokémon… People aren't as nice."

_ "What about Opal?" _

Allister fell silent. Opal was… nice. 

_ "And Piers! And Raihan!" _ Mimikyu hopped and wagged its tail. 

"T-They're… okay…"

_ "Bede, too!" _

Allister looked at his Pokémon questioningly. "Bede…?"

_ "Bede found me when I was lost!" _ Mimikyu went on.  _ "He looked for me so you wouldn't be sad." _

"Wasn't that just so we could go home…?"

_ "He would have just left without you if he just wanted to go home." _

Allister looked to the floor. He guessed that was true. Bede could have just left and… lied about encountering him. His lips pulled into a line, his brow furrowed. 

"I… I made him mad, though. What if he hates me?"

_ "...Then you'll just have to make it up to him! He can't hate you forever! Not even a Pokémon will hate someone forever _ ."

Allister stayed quiet. That sounded like it would be hard. How could he make it up to him…?

_ "You've come so far!" _ Mimikyu hopped again a few times, it's head rattled softly.  _ "You can't give up after coming this far! You didn't give up during the gym challenge when it got hard!" _

That was right. Allister had faced much bigger challenges before. The first time he had had to battle in a stadium had been heart stopping. Going to the semi finals for the first time was enough to make him sick. He could do those things… so he had to be able to find some way to get on Bede's good side. He had to have one, right?

Allister steeled his nerve and gave a firm nod. "O-Okay. I'm gonna… do my best."

_ "You can do it!" _ Mimikyu bounced and cheered. Allister couldn't help a smile this time as he opened his arms. Mimikyu easily jumped right into them, and Allister gave it a squeeze. 

"Thank you…! Let's… do our best, like always."

Mimikyu cheered once more. Allister stood back up with the Pokémon and grabbed his bag. He didn't have a plan yet, but… if he gave up now, Opal would be disappointed. He was starting to piece together why he had been sent out with Bede, and… the least he could do was see it through.

He gave Mimikyu one last good hug, put his mask back on, then returned the Pokémon before he left the washroom. 

The lobby was significantly more empty, which surprised Allister and left him lost until Piers called from behind him.

"Allister! Over here!"

Allister turned and quickly spotted the other across the lobby. He made way to Piers, who stood by with a league staff member. They were just beside the changing rooms. Piers had a furrow to his brow. 

"Hey… Raihan had to leave, he had a surprise challenger," Piers explained. "He said he's sorry he couldn't say goodbye."

Allister touched his mask, "I-It's okay." 

"We've got a bit of an issue right now, though," Piers went on, voice dipping to an unsure mumbled. "Bede won't come out, and he's not answering the door."

"We've got someone else going to find the changing room key just in case," The league staff member explained further. "You wouldn't happen to have his phone number, would you?"

Allister sadly shook his head, and couldn't help his own worry from returning. He locked himself in the changing room? Was he still upset with Allister after what had happened…?

"Damn. I don't either. It's been way too long just to change clothes, though," Piers fussed, anxiety visible on his face as he looked at the metal door up and down. "I'd say he's pullin' this because he's right miffed over what happened, but he was the one who wanted to get a move on as soon as possible, yeah…?"

Allister nodded. He figured if anything Bede would have left without them. Piers pressed the heel of his palm to his forehead and shut his eyes, growling out a breath.

"I want to get back to Spikemuth too, y'know, where did this kid's urgency go?" He turned back to the door, and gave it a few good knocks before calling out, "Oi, Bede! What's going on in there?"

The door clicked as if on command. Piers bit his tongue and stepped back in surprise. A few beats of silence later, the door crept open.

"Shut up already, 'm here…"

The shock resounded through all of them. Hanging off the door handle with one hand and clutching his stomach with the other, Bede was as white as a sheet. The far off look in his eye was unrecognizable, and quickly sent Piers into a panic.

"Flippin' 'ell! What happened?! You look like a strangled Cubchoo!" Piers cursed, Bede squinted up at him as his mouth twisted into a snarl. The defiant look in his eyes was quick to flicker out, however. Bede grabbed his head as he wobbled unsteadily in the doorway.

"T-The...damn t-tea…"

"What now- h-hey hey hey!"

Bede lurched, Piers flinched back but Allister jumped forward as he saw what was coming; Bede went limp, barely being caught by Allister who was nearly taken out from the other collapsing his full weight against his outstretched hands. Their heads collided with an audible thunk, Bede's jaw to the top of his mask. He staggered just as the league staff and Piers came to his aid.

"B-Bede! Shit! Hell!"

"We need first aid in the lobby, quickly!" The league staff member spoke quickly on the radio she had whipped out. Piers helped Allister not drop Bede to the floor who groggily struggled to move, too weak to do much at all. Panic made Allister ignore the pain in his nose from the collision, too terrified from Bede's collapse.

"W-What… What…"

"H-Hold on for just a sec! Just hold on!"

Just like that, the next half hour happened in a blur. League staff came and called for emergency help. Luckily the Pokémon center was just around the corner. Bede was thankfully somewhat awake again once help arrived, but was still taken back with the nurse as he was closer in color to a Cursola than a person.

They reported back that the illness was from exhaustion and sudden onset food poisoning; definitely a side effect from accidentally swallowing some of Polteageist's tea. 

"We can't keep going today like this, absolutely not."

Piers was mumbling to himself at the counter. The Pokémon center was quiet with only a few other people passing through. Bede was being released after they had given him some sort of… anti-cursed-tea medication. (Apparently he wasn't the first person to get on a Polteageist's bad side.) Piers was signing off on some papers, while Bede silently stood next to a worker Cinccino and Togetic. Allister quietly watched Bede as well, nervous and unsure as to how Bede managed to look mostly asleep while still standing, and with his eyes open.

"Just make sure his fever doesn't get too high and that he sleeps, and he should recover by tomorrow," The nurse behind the counter explained to Piers softly. Piers was nodding along as he scribbled down one last signature and slid the pen and paper over the counter. He gave a curt thanks after she gave him a small white paper bag, then went back to Allister and Bede. Bede barely even reacted when he came back. 

"We're setting up in a hotel room tonight. No way you can go anywhere like this, you still look like you'll catch your death any second."

Piers spoke like he expected Bede to protest. Yet the teen simply lowered his head and mumbled something Allister couldn't make out, scratching the nape of his neck. Piers stuffed the paper bag into the inner pocket of his coat before he herded Bede away with a hand on his upper back. Allister stayed close behind them, nervously watching Bede's shoulders as Cinccino and Togetic waved goodbye.

They decided to share a hotel room, which was more Piers deciding for them. Leaving Bede alone seemed like a bad idea, especially since by the time they got into the room, Bede could hardly walk again. He silently relied on Piers' arm until he sat on the foot of the first bed. Allister had carried Bede's pack for him, and left it beside his bed while Piers backed up and let Bede settle himself.

"I'm gonna call Opal," Piers finally said in an exhale. "And… Take a shower, very quickly. Both very quickly. Uh… Yeah."

He seemed to be looking to Allister for reassurance on this decision. Allister nodded a few times and tried not to be as hesitant as Piers was. Piers nodded back, his gaze lingering on Bede just for a few moments. Bede had disregarded him as he used his heel to nudge both his sneakers under the bed. 

Piers shuffled off to the small bathroom, and shut the door behind him. With him gone, the pristine, minimalist Hotel room was an ear-ringing quiet.

Bede didn't say anything to break that quiet. It was like the other had gone on autopilot; Allister had taken his eyes off him for a second and he was already crawling under the covers, even though he was still in his jeans. It was understandable that he was desperate for sleep, even when it was still early in the afternoon.

Allister shrugged off his own pack as quietly as he could. He left it under the table across from the beds, then went to the big picture-view windows. He fumbled to find the edge of the curtain, then carefully pulled it over, dimming the room substantially. Allister found himself more at ease in the dark room, and hoped it would help Bede sleep…

"...Thanks."

Allister perked up, surprised; the soft voice came muffled from across the room. Bede was facing the wall, and had one of the pillows of the queen sized bed in his arms. Allister shrunk shyly by the curtains. He touched the front of his mask, and felt the slight sting of the bridge of his nose. He wondered if it would have hurt Bede more if he let him just fall, or if it was dumb of him to have grabbed him like he did.

"I-I'm...Sorry… For what h-happened-"

"You already apologized."

Bede cut him off in a passive, almost frustrated mumble. Allister's head dipped as he brought his hands together at his chest. His hope dwindled, even though he was trying not to be fragile. Bede shifted slightly in bed, not facing Allister, but pulling the pillow tighter against his middle.

"B-Besides...We're even now, right?"

Allister's head raised again. His brow furrowed behind his mask. Bede couldn't see his face in any way, but explained himself after the silence betrayed Allister's confusion.

"Ponyta could have taken your whole arm off, that time," Bede muttered. Allister instinctively touched his shoulder, the one that had been struck just days ago. The bruise was still there, but he had nearly forgotten about it. "So… We're even. Forget about it."

Allister stayed quiet. It didn't feel even. Allister wasn't accustomed to that kind of mindset, either. Though it was strange to think that Bede hadn't totally disregarded the time his Ponyta misfired and hurt Allister. If being even meant that Bede wasn't mad at him, though… He would definitely take it. 

He looked back up quickly when Bede moved again, this time more roughly. It looked like he was wrestling with the comforter. He finally turned over, Allister straightened out nervously as Bede caught eyes with his mask. He was still visibly exhausted, though his expression wasn't hostile like earlier.

"... Can you… Get my holster…?"

Allister quickly snapped into action with a few nods. He made his way to Bede's bedside, then knelt down by his bag. 

"J-Just under the coat."

Allister pulled out Bede's coat, only to hesitate when he touched something else; his still wet shirt. The smell of… tea, softly wafted from the inside of his bag. Black tea. Allister carefully pulled out the wet shirt and pants, then found a Pokéball. A belt holster with five other balls followed it. Everything else in the bag was neatly folded and packed with almost strange precision.

"T-Thanks…" Bede muttered again after Allister handed over his holster. He stood and watched Bede quickly check each ball while lying on his back. He took off the one he wanted, and released the Pokémon right on the foot of the bed. The Pokémon that appeared surprised Allister; a short and stout Eevee, it's ears and tail waggled as it looked around curiously in the dark.

"...I'm cold," Bede muttered, as if trying to excuse bringing out the Pokémon. He patted the bed beside himself and the Eevee came hopping up to him eagerly, barely sparing Allister a glance. Bede picked it up as soon as it was in reach with a soft grunt. The Eevee let Bede hug it without hesitation, curling right into Bede's chest with a cheerful sound as if it had been waiting to get there for ages. Bede stayed laying on his back, and shut his eyes as he shakily pulled Eevee in closer under his chin. 

It took a few quiet moments of Allister lost in thought, watching Bede cuddle his Pokémon for warmth, before he snapped back into action and stepped away. As quietly as he could, he picked up Bede's wet clothes, then hung them over the back of the chair at the room's table. He then took the end of the other bed, sitting in silence with his own thoughts. 

\------

Allister recoiled. His hands slapped over the mouth hole of his mask and where his nose would be, behind which his face was screwed oddly in disgust.

Opal laughed and re-capped a vial.

"Skuntank! Now this one's just for a gag," Opal chuckled as she twisted the glass in her fingers. "It's quite bad, isn't it?"

Allister nodded more vigorously as he rubbed his face through the mask holes. It was putrid enough to make his eyes sting and his nose numb, he couldn't imagine running into such a Pokémon in the wild. It had been quite a shock from the other soft floral scents that not only Opal showed him, but her home was steeped in. 

"Such horrific smells are used for a reason, as you must know already."

Allister nodded again, readjusting his mask by the bottom. "T...To make the other Pokémon not wanna fight."

"Exactly. When a Skuntank is scared or angry, they let a shot of this loose, and you bet whatever problem they had before will turn tail and run!"

Allister would leave, too. It would be a good battle strategy, if not for the worry of having such a stink stick around for too long.

"It's much different than Pokémon like… Abra. Have you seen an Abra before, Allister?"

More slowly, Allister shook his head. The name was familiar, but he couldn't remember anything in specific.

"That's quite alright. It's a small psychic type, not native to Galar. I don't believe you would find one here, though they are a rare find and quite a hard catch in their respective regions."

A psychic type… Allister didn't raise those. Neither did Opal. Allister tilted his head questioningly, and luckily Opal went on.

"Its tactic might be a bit more familiar to you. To escape battles, it'll teleport given the first opportunity. It has the best way to run that never fails, and is a lot less offensive than something like a Skuntank's smell."

Teleporting… Allister sure wished he could do something like that. Psychic types could be quite impressive in what they did, even if ghosts were a touch more interesting about it, at least in Allister's opinion…

"These two Pokémon," Opal went on, her voice slowed slightly as she looked for Allister's full attention once more. "...They're different, but similar, at the same time. They both just want to feel safe. A Skuntank's smell may be quite repulsive and intimidating to most, but I've heard a rumor myself," A mischievous smile lit up her face, as if she were saying something she shouldn't. "A Skuntank's fur is soft, softer than a well groomed Meowth's, even. They also make great parents to Stunky, and friends to Pokémon smaller and more vulnerable. It's not uncommon at all to see even nice smelling Pokémon like Gossifleur living nearby for protection."

Allister watched Opal closely, enthralled by the mystical way she spoke. She could tell him about anything, and it would feel like a story right from one of her books, full of life and mystery. Her voice lowered again, however; as though she didn't want to be overheard. Allister knew by this alone that it was important.

"If you ask me, it might even be the nice smelling one's that we should be careful of. Gossifleur are known to gossip, they get along quite well with the mischievous fairies that look for much more cruel ways to cause harm than a bad smell or a scratch. Such pretty flowers believe they can get away with just about anything, and they may be right…"

Opal's smile seemed odd; complacent, yet her eyes distant. She caught on to Allister's slight confusion as she chuckled and put a hand to her cheek.

"...I've gone on a bit of a tangent here, my dear. You're simply such a good listener, Allister, it can be hard to hold back!"

Allister folded his hands in his laps shyly. He was barely doing anything, she was the one who was so good at speaking. He was too busy thinking of what she had just told him to be swept by a compliment, even when Opal went back to explaining more of her scent collection, and where each one came from. Allister was familiar with kind-looking faces being a lot meaner than they appeared. Opal wasn't so easily fooled, either. Maybe something was on her mind, which is why she felt the need to share such details with Allister in her usually cryptic manor. What she was truly speaking about would be much harder to figure out, especially when she was lulling him back into the calm, worry free atmosphere with her soft voice…

….

"Oi, I know you're not a fan, but just deal with me for a minute, alright?"

In the quiet hotel room, Piers had returned from his phone call and shower, which hadn't been exactly quick as he had promised, since he ended up running out of the room again for some other errand anyway. Bede got in a good hour of sleep, and Allister hid between the curtain and the wall to read. He kept Mimikyu in his lap for company, and checked on Bede every once in a while, just to nervously make sure he was still breathing. Not that he expected him to… not be, but it was better safe than sorry.

Now, Piers had returned from his running around. He brought back an unlabeled plastic shopping bag and a new wrinkle that had permanently stuck between his brows. Bede had woken up when he came in, and, besides his nonplussed expression, he was still visibly exhausted and didn't snap back at or fight Piers.

"I just went out to get some stuff, and a few of the guys back from Spikemuth finally spotted me and were wonderin' if I died yet or not," Piers explained in his soft mumbled, one hand on Bede's shoulder and the back of his other pressed carefully under Bede's bangs. His Eevee was still fast asleep in his lap, just a pile of soft fur in the linen covers that greatly contrasted the annoyed expression above it.

"This is taking long enough that we might as well have," Bede muttered bitterly. Piers moved his hand a few times, then took it back as he observed Bede's face instead.

"It looks like you're not quite a goner yet, though. You'll have to hold on until you've grown a tad more before you can call it quits."

Bede grunted evenly in response and fixed his hair. Piers finally stepped away from him and looked to Allister, who was back on the end of the bed. Mimikyu sat just beside him and watched Piers with equal curiosity. Piers rubbed the nape of his neck while Bede struggled to pull the covers up over his shoulders again.

"It's fine, though. I'd say we could all use a day off. This is a bit more relaxing than camping is, anyway. When I called Opal, she agreed that stayin' put until we're all in better shape is a good idea in the long run, especially if we're havin' a battle at the end of this little adventure."

Allister nodded meekly in agreement. He was fine himself, but he would rather not keep going while Bede was suffering, and another day in between could be better for the battle that was to ensue. Allister was still wondering if Rose was on the lookout for Bede, and if laying low for now would be of any use…

Nonchalantly, Piers reached down and helped pull the comforter up over Bede's shoulders. Bede stiffened up when he did, almost like Piers had slapped him instead of simply helping him unprompted.

"Apparently she's seen this happen before, too. Polteageists can be somewhat… easily miffed. Not to say my lot is usually any better."

Piers, despite catching on that Bede was cold, didn't seem to recognize he had shocked the other. He was busy looking Allister's way again and thinking hard. Bede's head dipped as he bundled himself up.

"Opal said she's spoken with the staff at your gym as well, so you're good to stay away for a little longer than expected."

"Isn't Chairman Rose usually the boss of that?" Bede muttered, earning back Piers' attention. Piers tossed him half a smirk.

"Guess so. But it doesn't matter if he doesn't know about it, right? Can't hurt to take a little time off."

"How lovely. Professionalism at its finest."

"Anyway," Piers went on with a wave of his hand. "...Our break from our little romp might be good timing, too. Some odd stuff's been happening around Hammerlocke."

"Odd stuff?" 

"Dangerous odd stuff," Piers clarified to Bede's questioning tone. "A Pokémon Dynamaxed out of nowhere just behind Raihan's stadium."

This caught both Bede and Allister's attention. Bede looked up, but seemed to hesitate before he could speak. Allister remained confused, and decided to speak instead.

"Without… a proper hot spot…?"

"Yeah. It was real weird." Piers scratched his head. "Leon was luckily around to deal with it, and I think it was just some blokes fooling around and they managed to get enough energy just being on the edge of Hammerlock's power spot, or something' like that." Piers shrugged. "I don't usually look too much into the dynamaxin' business, but I think that's how it probably went."

"Idiots are playing around with dangerous stuff like that all the time," Bede finally added. "It's no wonder they finally figured out how to be more dangerous."

"Just means we gotta be a bit more careful," Piers concluded. "Not that any of us are incapable, but running into a dynamaxed Pokémon unprepared could spell trouble. Hopefully this is just a one time thing and we won't have to deal with any of that mess."

Allister nodded slowly in agreement. That did sound really frightening… but didn't make a whole lot of sense. How would they get a Pokémon to dynamax in such odd spots? And who did it? Why? The idea of someone fooling around seemed pretty plausible, but… they would have to be pretty stupid. It was common sense how dangerous being around the dynamax phenomenon was in itself, and how controlled the environments were in the gym when it came to dynamaxing. Maybe it was a tourist who got ahold of a dynamax band, or a truly foolish gym challenger…

"...So," Piers went on meekly. He stepped away from Bede and went to his shopping bag, reaching inside and pulling out a brown paper bag, and then another. "I got some snacks. Can't quite start a fire in here, so I thought it's better than nothin' if either of you are up for eating."

"Why are you going on like this?"

Bede's sudden question came to Allister's surprise. His eyes were narrowed at Piers as if in suspicion, Piers turned back towards him with equal confusion. 

"Like what?"

"It was lukewarm water, not acid. I'm not about to drop dead or anything foolish like that."

Piers' confusion only deepened. Allister, on the other hand, felt his shoulders relax. Bede was feeling more like himself already, that was a relief.

"Okay, but, do you remember about an hour and a half ago when you  _ did _ drop?"

"Of course I do-"

"You looked like the soul was already half gone from your body on holiday!" Piers insisted, exasperated. "Of course that scared me! Flippin' 'ell you're lucky it was the staff on the phone and not me, I would have asked for an ambulance! Not to mention you nearly took Allister's face off with your chin and didn't bat an eye!"

Perplexed, Bede touched his jaw line. He probably didn't remember that part, from the look on his face. Allister touched his own mask; the bridge of his nose definitely remembered that, but he didn't blame Bede for it.

"What are you talking about?"

"You would'a hit the floor like a Roggenrola if you didn't land on Allister, of course I'm losing my mind over here! The last time I saw someone pass out while that sick, it was Raihan, and the bloody dense bloke was out for two weeks!"

"It's- it's not my fault he was so close, I was trying to stay away in the first place-"

"That's not the part that matters!" Piers hissed roughly and grabbed at his own head. "Just- be quiet, for now, okay? Don't take it personally, please, you're plenty capable I'm sure, but-"

"I'm not taking anything personally! How could anyone take such an insignificant slight-"

Eevee had woken up in Bede's lap, looking sleepily between the two tense voices overhead. They weren't quite yelling, but it was obvious Piers was too burnt out to explain himself and Bede was too defensive. Allister quickly got the sinking feeling in his stomach that only worsened as he had no way to escape. Mimikyu paced uneasily beside him on the bed, looking between the two bickering trainers and the reluctant Allister. Allister chewed his lip, and tried to think hard. Bede… probably wasn't really angry. He sounded cross, but the bite was different from someone who was scorned or wronged. 

"This hasn't got a thing to do with what I want, you know? Opal was the one who-"

"U-Um-"

Allister slid off the bed so he could stand. Both Piers and Bede's heads turned, they looked his way almost like he had materialized out of nowhere into their conversation. Allister hesitated with a flinch, nervous after butting in. He would rather just sneak past and leave, he would rather any other way to just escape from the nonsense, but…

"B-Bede, it's… okay. Mister Piers is just worried."

Bede's mouth shut. He stared back at Allister, the flames in his eyes significantly fanned. Allister could spot it then; the slight crease in his brow, and the flash of distrust, like a cornered Pokémon. 

"... There's nothing to worry over, I'll be fine."

"Yes, you will be fine," Piers agreed, his and Bede's voices significantly lowered now to match Allister's softer tone. "So just relax for now so you can get better faster, alright? The nurse said you'd need rest, so…"

"Yeah, I know," Bede muttered back with a lot less bite. He rested a hand on Eevee's head and gave it a few pets, Eevee settled in his lap again as Bede stroked it. The tense air had slowly cleared, Allister finally relaxed with a silent but strangled exhale. It had been a risk to poke his nose in like he did, but he was grateful that it worked out. Usually he would never do such a thing, even if he had the benefit of an outside perspective, but… things were becoming more clear. Opal wanted him to try. To not run away at the first sign of conflict.

Allister wanted to hold his head in frustration. Opal sent him out to confront too many scary things at a time, she tricked him into it so easily! It was still a mystery to him how she could gather so much information on him when he gave everyone so little, and on some level he was definitely frustrated to be where he was now because of it. Instead of freaking out, though, Allister stayed just as calm, and thought of the positives. He couldn't be tricked into doing this a second time, and… Perhaps Ballonlea's next leader would be a touch more friendly with him when Opal stepped down. He couldn't imagine it being anything like himself and Opal, but he also didn't want to think of being terribly intimidated by his neighbor for the rest of his gym leader career.

Silence waned between the group after the quarrel had settled. Bede was the first to break it again, his tone softer, much different from usual. 

"...I'm not going to end up sleeping again like this, though." He patted Eevee's head. "So…"

"We can pop in a movie or somethin'," Piers offered readily. He checked his phone with his other hand. "The hotels got some on demand or whatever. I've got uh… important stuff, do to, on my phone," Piers waved it awkwardly for a second before bringing it chest height so he could look at the screen better. "You two do whatever in the meantime. I'll just…"

Piers looked to the bed, then over his shoulder, then at the table. Allister, standing between the two beds, shifted when Mimikyu jumped up on his arm weightlessly. He patted the Pokémon and meekly looked to Piers.

"...Y-You can take the other bed, Mister Piers-"

"You were there first, though, I don't wanna kick you out…"

Allister shook his head; he'd rather sit on the floor or in the chair than make Piers do that, especially when he himself only took up a fraction of space on a mattress compared to someone Piers' height. Allister perked in surprise when he saw Bede move in his peripheral.

"Just sit on the foot of mine," He muttered, having bent to pick up the TV remote from the bedside table. He was nonchalant about it, almost like the two gym leaders were being foolish to not even mention invading his space. "I'm not contagious."

Allister hesitated, but nodded anyway as he skirted around the bed to the other side. Bede clicked on the television while Allister slipped off his shoes and sat on the foot of the bed, on the opposite side from Bede. Piers had given in without argument of his own and got comfortable against the headboard of the other mattress. 

Then, things were calm again. Bede was quietly flicking through a menu of movies on the TV screen, Piers had his nose buried in his phone, and Allister rested his palms on his knees, Mimikyu still perched on his shoulder. Even though Allister had to be at least three feet away from the other, it was still incredibly weird sitting near Bede. After his Polteageist sent him to the hospital, and after he was still snippy with Piers, the turbulent air had calmed again. The quiet hotel room gave him more space to think, too; perhaps it was exhausting Bede that made him more understanding. It certainly wasn't optimal to give someone severe illness just to get patience out of them, but it made things easier in the moment. 

Bede didn't ask him for his preference, but picked something Allister didn't mind anyway; some sort of nature documentary showing the Unova region. Allister had little plans to pay attention to it, anyway, but the soft background sound helped keep the feel of the room calm. 

...The craving to be alone was stronger than ever, but Allister was holding on and doing his best. Even if it made him feel childish, he missed Stow-on-side already. He always thought that because he could bring his friends with him, home would be wherever they were. Yet he had grown weary from this adventure, and his uphill battle of getting along with someone who didn't want to get along with him weighed heavy on his back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its my god given right to let Piers make pokemon references and im only a lil sorry--
> 
> also... im bad at splitting up chapters..... so this one is incredibly long,, sorry about thAT. The next one is supposed to be tacked onto the end of this but I'm splitting it up so it doesn't become too much of a monster


	4. Peace and Quiet

Finally, things were quiet again. The kind of quiet that wasn't gut wrenching. 

Piers' Rottom phone flashed a battery warning on the screen. He mindlessly fished for his charger in his pocket and chanced another look at the kids; the television was on, but neither of them were interested. Difficult, but not as difficult as everything else.

The only thing that had kept him from ordering an emergency Corviknight taxi back to Stow-on-side was how god awful Bede still looked, and Opal's encouraging words that just filled his gut with a poisonous guilt.

"You've done wonderful so far! I can't say it enough, you've done nothing but good for both of them, much more than a lady my age could offer!"

"One of them went to emergency care! Is that really all that "wonderful"?"

He had kept his tone at a low hiss in the bathroom, hoping the sound of the shower left on drowned out his voice. This would be eight times easier if Opal would just give in and learn how to text, but that was a battle Piers knew he would never win. 

"Why, it happens to the best of us, dear. Remember that time Raihan had to be taken in? A Dreepy dart is nothing to gawk at, but the fella is just peachy now! I'd say it even made him stronger!"

"Or it knocked something out of place," Piers muttered bitterly. Now the guy was a little too confident around an armed and ready Dragapult. Piers ruffled his own hair and shook his head. "But- listen- I don't know what kind of result you're expecting, but I can only do so much. I make noise, I rev up a crowd, trying to understand either of their vibes is like trying to read a tree! I can barely remember what Allister's voice even sounds like-"

"You're doing just fine."

Piers' jaw shut into a grimace when Opal butted in, calm and persistently reassuring. It was beyond frustrating that she didn't seem to understand what Piers was trying to convey, yet her confidence was unmatched. 

"Progress isn't always visible to the eye. And I haven't asked you to do the impossible, dear. Just spend time with them, like you would any other pair of aspiring champions."

_ But I don't do that _ . He barely even did signings with fans. He was much more interested in his music career than mentoring new trainers, especially one that talked back more than he did as a teen, and another who's unsettling aura alone could choke a Mudsdale.

He let out a sigh, trying not to breathe on his phone. This sucked. He didn't hate the kids, but he felt so powerless. He had a stupid soft spot for them, even if they were bratty or weird. He himself had been bratty and weird, and it was probably part of Opal's tactic;  _ make Piers babysit the outcast kids because he can emphasize _ , or whatever. Something manipulative like that. Sadly, it was working.

"Listen." He ran his hand down the other side of his face. "If I'm goin' to keep at this, could I at least get some direction? Even just a smidge? I know, you want me to "hang out'' with 'em, but half of this trip has just been gettin' Bede to not rip my head off for sayin' the wrong thing. What does the kid want- other than to kick my butt in a battle?"

Opal was quiet for a moment. The shower water beating the empty tub floor came back to his attention briefly, dragging his eyes into the bath from staring at the hand towel. The washroom was tiny. He was cramped and hot. In the small, square mirror, his reflection was nothing more than monochrome smudges clouded by steam. He had a hard enough time raising Marnie, but she was a blessing compared to these two

"...The two of them aren't used to a presence like yours."

Opal actually beginning to speak instead of saying something passive or cryptic quickly brought back Piers' full attention. A questioning expression came to his face, but he definitely didn't dare to interrupt Opal.

"Allister's only made friends with Pokémon, and Bede's stuck with seeing everyone as a competitor. Right now… It's simply troublesome. Troublesome in ways that are difficult to explain, but are very well bigger than what it looks like."

She wasn't happy anymore. The soft, chuckling and mischievous woman had disappeared to be replaced by someone monotonous and… defeated. The tonal shift was enough to make Piers shiver in the hot bathroom.

"I just think it would be important for Bede to make friends with the rest of the league before he becomes a part of it. Right now, he's incredibly loyal to Mister Rose, who truly did treat him in a rotten, foolish way that I can't sympathize with in the slightest."

The sudden frustration in her still soft tone made Piers spring to speak, "W...What? What're you talking about?"

"If you could just show both of them what it's like to have a good big brother," Opal insisted despite Piers' question. "Then I believe they might open up a tad more into trusting others. The league depends on our bonds as gym leaders being so strong! We have to trust one another, lest we be taken advantage of."

"What are you talking about? You're makin' me right nervous, Opal, you're talkin' like the skies gonna fall any minute!"

Opal laughed. "My, don't worry, that won't be happening so long as I'm still standing under it! So please, be a dear and just keep doing your best, okay? 

"... Alright," Piers gave in, his eyes shut and his mouth drew into a line. "Yeah. I'll do my best. So long as no one dies by the end of this, I'm in the clear, right?"

"That would be preferred!"

"I figured."

"Thank you so much again, Piers," Opal said with a sweetness that made Piers' shoulders drop further. "I'll be sure to repay the favor."

"Don't worry about it."

And so, Piers went on to start contacting more people.

Raihan was still flooding his inbox, which wasn't unusual, but it had been a while. Piers was busy pecking out a long, dragging text, erasing lines and rewording sentences that ended up sounding the same anyway. His own plan was going to take a lot of sneaky, pain-in-the-ass business, but… This wasn't his first rodeo tip toeing around authority. Despite how much work it had been, and all the unfortunate parts, that small, long forgotten spark of excitement still flickered in his chest and made his heart feel fluttery. He was having fun. Somehow. Even if he could put his whole career in jeopardy carting around this ex gym challenger and hiding him from the gym league's Chairman. 

The spark would be even more enjoyable if he wasn't still worried over whatever ominous thing Opal had let slip.

Piers adjusted how he sat, pulling up his hips after he had slid down the mattress. He took another look at the two kids across the room as he did so, pausing at what he saw.

Bede had fallen asleep again, much faster than what Piers would expect from someone who had the energy to argue with him just ten minutes earlier. He was flat on his back, his Eevee up on his chest and sniffing at his chin, it's tail wagging. It took a few seconds more for Piers to realize Allister had vanished from the end of his bed.

Piers sat up. He had been just eight feet away, and Allister snuck off…? He swung his legs over the side of the bed and quietly stood up, peeking around to the open bathroom door. The lights were still off. The TV showed a picture of a Deerling eating some sort of berry.

Maybe… the kid just needed space. He did seem like the loner type. But he was also, like… eleven, or something. Piers couldn't keep the perplexed look from coming to his face as he quietly stepped around Bede's bed and went to check the dark bathroom. This was a big issue, too; he had no idea how to treat such a young kid who was also a gym leader. Bede reamed him for that one already, but it wasn't like Bede knew himself, right?

Piers stuck his head through the bathroom, and flicked on the lights. Nothing. His worry only deepened. He left the room? To where? He shut the lights off and turned to go back and get his phone, only to jump and grab the wall to not trip.

The figure crouched in the crevice between Bede's bed and the wall flinched, too, falling back onto his butt. Allister was sitting on the floor in the darker corner, his Mimikyu jumped and scrambled upright into battle ready position after Piers' sudden move.

"O-Oh-"

"I-I'm sorry-"

Allister quickly butted in, he and Piers both keeping their voices low though Piers had to strain to contain his own volume. The mask was enough to startle him, why was he…?

Quickly reaching around his Mimikyu, Allister picked up something that he had dropped; a leather book. He squirreled it away against his chest and behind Mimikyu, the boy and the Pokémon looking up at him meekly. Well, Mimikyu less so, since it was busy sneaking away the shadowy claws it had unleashed on instinct to protect it's master. Piers was trying to get his heart to calm down as he stared back.

"I… U-Uh… I thought you left, so I…"

Piers motioned helplessly to the door, then to the bathroom. This was even weirder when he couldn't see Allister's face, nor his Pokémon's. He just stared at the two masks that sent a chill up his spine. 

"...Y-You don't have to, uh, sit on the floor, Bede said it was fine…"

"I-It's okay."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind, he's pretty out cold."

"I-It's… fine…"

"...Did you want to sit on the other one...?"

Allister persisted to shake his head. Piers couldn't tell if he was nervous around Bede, or just really too shy to sit up on one of the beds. Either way, it felt too weird to leave him just sitting on the floor in this quiet, empty room, not even watching the television…

Shifting soundlessly, Allister sat up straighter, with that book pressed into his chest. Mimikyu kept it's sights pinned on Piers as it's head wobbled to the side. Piers cleared his throat.

"...Were you reading?"

Allister's head turned to look up at him again. For a moment, the low light from the TV crept through the holes of his mask enough for Piers to catch the glint of his eyes. He looked back down to his book, then gave a slower nod.

"That's alright, you can do that," Piers reassured him quickly. "It's good. Uh- that you're reading. Can you even see the pages down there…?"

The curtains were still pulled, and it was dim enough with only the screen breaking up the dark with it's dull flashes. Allister relented again, and Piers almost felt bad even just speaking to him from the way the other retreated under his gaze.

"I can… see… okay."

"It's so dark…"

Slowly, Piers knelt down, sitting down on his knees to be on Allister's level. The boy wouldn't look up at him anymore, but Piers hoped to make it easier by getting down so he didn't have to crane his head back to do so. His hold on the book loosened just slightly, his Mimikyu turning to face Piers still while seated in Allister's lap.

"...Wait, is that one of Opal's books? The leather ones?"

Allister perked up, surprised. Piers poked his chin as the memory came back to him.

"I've seen her bookshelf a few times before. She never let me, Raihan or Leon touch any of 'em, and… It's probably for a good reason. Raihan and Leon are rough enough as is with their own stuff… She must trust you real well to let you take one."

Allister didn't answer, but looked down at the book. It seemed he already knew that. His hesitancy to speak too much was evident, but… Not as eerie. His silence before had often come as something creepy; it was so much easier to understand a lot of kids because of their lack of filter. Whatever went on in their head was sure to come out of their mouth. Like Leon's little brother Hop... Or just Leon. But it had been a while since Piers dealt with a nonverbal trainer. Marnie had been a quiet one herself, though. Piers tried to let that familiarity take over as he sat crouched before the other gym leader.

"It's been a while since I've read a whole book, too. I'm more of a music kind of guy. Marnie really likes books, though. She's got her own little collection that she's been adding to ever since she was real little."

He could distinctly remember when she was about Allister's age, maybe a little younger. She was all over the place. Practicing battling with a pint sized Morepeko, singing, running, getting into trouble… Piers or another guy from around Spikemuth would snag books from Hammerlocke's bazaar every now and then, usually Pokémon or fantasy related. Her face would light up without fail, and the gifter would get a big hug that Piers would remind Marnie of now when she's older to embarrass her. 

Piers felt… nice. And like he should text Marnie just to check up on her. It took him out of the moment for just a few seconds before he remembered he had a kid already sitting in front of him, one without such fond memories. Did Allister get gifts like that from his parents? It was hard to even imagine such a kid giving someone a hug. The cold stare of his mask was unwelcoming, even if everything else about him was timid.

"...What kinda book is it, anyway? I've always wondered what Opal reads."

Allister looked between Piers and the book itself. He held it in both hands, his head ducked. Piers didn't expect him to answer at all, but…

"...It's a… M-Mystery."

"Mystery…? Oh, like, unknown stuff. Fantasy…?"

Allister nodded his head. Piers nodded along.

"Feels like I should've expected that. Opal's probably gotten so cunning from reading stuff like that a whole lot…" Piers muttered, grunting softly as he pulled his legs out from under himself to sit properly on the floor. His back hunched, his ponytails still squished against the wall. Allister stayed still.

"Got any books of your own?"

Allister shook his head. 

"Eh? Not even one?"

"...I don't… I jus' borrow from Miss Opal…"

"Ahh well, that's fair, books ain't cheap these days anyway," Piers shrugged and shook his head. "Even gettin' em online or just digital can cost an arm and a leg. A lotta new books can be kinda boring in my opinion, too."

Allister nodded again. Piers watched him in return; he wasn't sure if what they were having constituted as a conversation, or just Piers talking at Allister and Allister waiting for him to go away. This was more progress than Bede, though. Allister wasn't angry or ignoring him, which was a score in Piers books, even if he technically had the other gym leader in a literal corner. 

"...What kind of music do you listen to?"

Allister shifted just slightly. After a few seconds of quiet, he shook his head.

"I don't… really…"

"...Listen to music? Like, at all?"

A sleeve touched the bottom edge of his white mask. Allister ducked shyly.

"I-I… like it q-quiet…"

"That's the first time I've heard that from someone your age," Piers couldn't help but chuckle. "Usually kids are all about blasting stuff on their phones and doin' those… whatever dances," Piers motioned oddly with his hand but shook his head with his nose scrunched. "I guess that's why Opal must like ya so much, huh."

Allister didn't respond, but shrunk into the corner further while picking at his mask. His Mimikyu inched closer to Allister's body, almost as if it were a Pikachu itching to hop up on his head. Piers' attention was diverted, however, when he happened to glance lower. It was definitely harder to see in the dark, and probably went unnoticed because of their severe height difference, but Allister's knees were… pretty bumped up. Both were bruised noticeably, though if they hurt, it would be impossible for Piers to tell at a glance.

Finally setting his book down, Allister picked up his Mimikyu that had been softly begging for attention. He held it to his chest like a kid would a teddy bear. Piers deflated with the corner of his mouth pulled down.

"Sorry… if I'm botherin' you."

Like he was expecting it, Allister quickly shook his head. 

"I'm just… ugh… This socializing stuff ain't easy at all, I'm too spoiled with people like Raihan and Leon having done that for me already," Piers sighed and cupped the side of his face. "I'm not tryin' to intimidate you or nothin', I feel bad that you've been dragged out here like this with an awkward guy like me and Bede who's nothin' but teeth and thorns."

Mimikyu's head tucked under Allister's chin. Allister kept it in a gentle hold as he listened to Piers, and let the silence flow between them as Piers massaged his temples. 

"B…Bede's… Just…

Head raising, Piers was surprised to hear Allister speak up. The other was choosing his words slowly in a hushed voice.

"...Scared, a little."

His brow furrowed. What Opal had said earlier rose to his attention as he pressed further. "What d'you mean? Is something botherin' him?"

"Um…" Allister shook his head. Piers could sense the effort he was putting in just to word himself how he wanted, even if his anxiety still had a vice grip on the poor boy. He took one hand off of Mimikyu. "I-It's like… He doesn't want- want people to t-think that he's not strong, or th… that they can pick on him."

Allister's hand slid up the length of Mimikyu's wooden tail. A part Piers wouldn't even dare to think of touching, even as someone without ghosts on his team he knew Mimikyu was particular and protective about its disguise. The Pokémon didn't even react, however. The tips of its shadowy claws showed as it held onto its club, allowing it's trainer to feel the wood grain and slowly twist and turn it. 

"So… If he's angry 'n mean, then he can be alone, and never be in a scary sit...situation."

Piers watched Allister closely, curiosity dragging his attention. Of course someone so quiet like Allister would be keenly observant. He shouldn't have expected anything less from someone Opal took interest in, it had to be Allister's age that threw him off. Bede was mean because he didn't want to get hurt…

"H...He is… a tiny bit… rude, sometimes," Allister mumbled softer. "J-Just because, uh… he is. I think. B-But…"

"...Nah, I think I get it," Piers reassured him as Allister struggled, obviously not wanting to speak rudely about Bede. "It's not all black and white 'n stuff. People can do or say bad things and still… not be a horrible person. Same the other way around." Piers grimaced. "I know it's pretty damn easy for mean people to say nice things."

Allister was nodding along, just a touch more enthusiastically. He scooped his Pokémon closer once more, bending his knees to help it sit against his stomach.

"B...Bede, um, the night before last… he saved Mimikyu, and Yamask."

"What?" Piers blinked in surprise. "Really? What happened?"

"He ran off, because…" Allister touched his belt. Without seeing his face, Piers was already starting to read him just a touch better; his fingertips grazed slowly over the surface of a pokéball ball, reliving a memory with a hint of guilt. "A-Another Pokémon stole Yamask's ball, 'n ran off, so Mimikyu chased him." Allister separated the ball from his holster. It expanded in his palm, but he didn't release the Pokémon. He set the ball down with Mimikyu, who nudged it with a small chittering sound. "B-But… it was in the Gl- Glimwood tangle, and we all got lost. But... Bede went out and found Mimikyu and Yamask, after it got really late, and brought them back."

He brought them back himself… before Piers could ask, Allister scratched his head and continued to mutter.

"I… don't know why he didn't just… leave. I dunno… why he did anything," Allister shook his head. His voice grew softer again, his confidence in telling the story had faded. "I-I'm confused about it."

"Yeah, it's… weird. A weird message," Piers confirmed unsteadily. The story was hard to put together from the brief description, but the gist of it was enough to leave Piers with questions. He supposed it would be a bit much to think Bede would abandon a kid and his lost Pokémon in the middle of some dense woods, but it was weird to think of Bede as the heroic type. He was ambitious and a tad narcissistic, which didn't usually translate to being helpful and…

"...Wait, does that mean you two really stayed in the Glimwood tangle overnight?"

Allister's head turned up to look at him, before he shied away again, much more guiltily.

"I-I couldn't leave Mimikyu and Yamask-"

"I can't… gah…" Piers smothered his head in his hands. Opal had him dragging around these two bumped up kids fresh off of them getting lost in one of the most dangerous woods in Galar! Of course Bede was sleeping like a rock and pissed off, he was sick and exhausted!... Well, being rude still seemed to be just how he was, but Piers would be on the worse side too if he was worn out like that.

"I-I'm sorry-"

"No- it's not you, you're fine- don't, do that, though. Don't camp in the Glimwood Tangle, you'll die. But I'm not angry at you," Piers quickly waved his hands and shook his head. "I'm confused as hell. Jeez..."  _ How did I let myself get wrapped up in these two? _ He thought that Melony and Gordie had been drama enough as is (drama that he avoided, to be fair), trying to wrap his head around these two and what they were up to was almost frustrating. 

"I, um…" Allister rested his hands on Mimikyu again. He let out an audible breath. "I-It's okay. Um… we're… Almost done our trip. So…"

Allister perked up again, his voice trailing off. At first, Piers thought Allister was looking at him, but a soft, strange sound caught his ears. Piers straightened his back so he could peer up onto the bed; Bede was on his side facing away, his Eevee curled up on his hip. With the slow, rhythmic rise and fall of his shoulders, a soft snoring drifted their way. He had barely moved while under the covers, a big difference from Marnie who usually tangled herself in her sheets within an hour of falling asleep.

"Wish I could sleep that well," Piers chuckled, Allister meekly stretched so he could peak over the edge of the bed at Bede. "Snorin' and everything…"

"I'm glad… He can sleep," Allister muttered. Mimikyu hopped off his lap after Allister had twisted too far to be comfortable to sit on. The Pokémon looked up at Piers, catching his attention. Even without a face, it seemed curious, though it stayed just out of reach.

"...I think you guys should battle again."

Allister turned and looked back at him. He pulled his hand from the mattress and lowered to sit again. 

"I dunno why, I just have a feelin' that it could be a good idea," Piers tried to explain, uncertain yet firm. The thought only gave him positive feelings; a battle once you knew someone could be much more like a friendly conversation. Piers could drag them around to cafés and meeting gym leaders until his legs fell off, but the obvious answer to getting these two pumped was painfully obvious all along. "A good battle could be more fun than hikes and tea, right? Bede might be itchin' for a rematch anyway."

No response came right away, unlike the usual trainer who would jump at the first mention of a battle. Piers hesitated, anxious that he had missed his mark, but Allister soon touched the rim of his mask once more.

"...Really…? You think… he'd want to…?"

It was small, but obvious compared to how Allister spoke; Piers had his interest. Piers pounced on this with an enthusiastic nod.

"Yeah! The bloke looks like he'd take any chance he could get to show off. But he lost the first time, right? I know I'd be rarin' for a do over at his age to show I'm strong enough."

More quiet passed, Allister was thinking hard on what Piers said. Slowly, he began to nod, more confidently than before. "Y...Yeah. I would, too. We should battle…"

"We'll have to find a spot," Piers confirmed. "I'd say my stadium, but you can't dynamax there, so… Guess we'll talk about it tomorrow 'n see what we can do."

Allister nodded more in agreement. Piers couldn't help the smile that had come to his face; something about seeing someone so quiet and reclusive become excited cheered him up pretty fast. It made him briefly forget the unease that he had associated so strongly with the other gym leader. Allister was just a kid, too, a kid who liked battling probably as much as Piers had at his age.

Television long forgotten, it's flickers illuminated the room for the remainder of their quiet, calm evening. With the rest of Piers' reasoning skills, he managed to get Allister to take the remaining bed, while he himself called the front desk to ask for a spare cot. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> smaller chapter.... thank u for reading!!!!!!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to anyone who got this far I appreciate it!


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